Author: Tunde Akingbondere

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, yesterday, said the nation would never surrender and warned that the United States would suffer irreparable damage if it intervenes, even as Israel said it had destroyed the internal security headquarters in Tehran. Khamenei’s speech came six days into the conflict, with Trump saying his patience with Iran had already run out, but declined to say whether US would intervene in the conflict. This is even as Amnesty International has urged Israel and Iran to spare civilians as their conflict escalates and alarm grows over the death toll. Delivering a national address, Khamenei described…

Fresh controversy surrounding the leadership of local government councils in Osun State intensified on Saturday, as both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) offered conflicting interpretations of a recent Court of Appeal ruling. The dispute stems from a judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal in Akure on Friday, which dismissed an application by the APC to relist a previously struck-out appeal. The appeal had challenged the ruling that nullified the October 15, 2022, local government elections conducted under the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. Justice Peter Obiorah, who delivered the ruling virtually, maintained…

The founder of an Ibadan-based radio station, Agidigbo 88.7 FM, Oriyomi Hamzat, has disclosed that he is being pushed to contest the govershorship election in Oyo State in 2027, saying he has better chances to win should he decides to contest. He made this pronouncement in a live broadcast with a caller from abroad who advised him against running for the Office of Governor of Oyo come 2027. The caller said, “Don’t listen to those who are saying Oyo is calling Oriyomi Hamzat. They are only lying. “Although you are helping the masses, don’t rely on them that when it…

Dear Sir, I write to you with the utmost respect and admiration for your unwavering commitment to transforming Ondo State and advancing our cultural, social, and infrastructural development. As a proud citizen and advocate for heritage preservation, I humbly appeal for the revival of the Mare Festival, a historic and vibrant cultural event that once shone a bright light on Idanre and Ondo State. Inaugurated in 2009 during the administration of former Governor Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the Mare Festival was designed as a tourism-driven celebration of mountain climbing and culture, centered around the globally renowned Idanre Hills—a UNESCO-recognized heritage site…

Mr. Monday Ubani SAN has dismissed the viral claims surrounding a video shared by human rights lawyer, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, which suggested that Justice Nyang Okoro JSC secretly visited Edo State to lobby Governor Monday Okpebholo through his Attorney-General before the appeal hearing filed by PDP’s Asue Ighodalo. Describing the allegations of a lobbying deal involving Okoro at Protea Hotel as “mischievous” and “preposterous,” Ubani clarified that Justice Nyang Okoro JSC was in Edo State as a guest of Mr. Hannibal Uwaifo, former President of the African Bar Association, who was burying his mother in a celebratory atmosphere. In a…

The Nigerian Senate is considering a legislative proposal that would increase the number of Supreme Court Justices from the current 21 to 30 in a bid to tackle the mounting backlog of cases and improve the efficiency of the apex court. Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West), who is sponsoring the bill, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday to mark his two years in the 10th National Assembly. He argued that the current number of justices is inadequate, despite the recent appointment of 11 justices in 2023 that finally filled the constitutional quota for the first time…

Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire SAN, representing the Ondo Central Senatorial District, has dismissed rumors of a fallout with Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, labeling such claims as fabrications by political jobbers. In a statement to Citizen Rapporteur, Adegbonmire clarified: “I do not have any conflict with the governor. We share a cordial relationship. Why would I want to clash with him? For what purpose and to whose benefit? These narratives are purely the product of imagination. I have no issues with the governor and continue to support and respect him as the leader of our State. It is my duty to collaborate with…

Justice Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court has been reportedly sighted on Thursday evening at the exquisite Protea Hotel in Benin City, Edo State, in the company of the Edo State Governor Okpebholo’s appointee and Attorney-General, Hon. Samson Osagie. A credible source revealed how the pair were spotted while leaving the hotel and were reportedly en route to meet Governor Monday Okpebholo, thereby sparking huge concern over possible backchannel deals between the Governor of Edo State (a party in the electoral matter before the Supreme Court) ahead of the Court’s hearing in the ongoing legal challenge to the governor’s election.…

THE SILENCE BEFORE THE GONG When a great Iroko falls, it does not do so quietly. It thunders in the forest. I was sipping coffee that morning as the world was yet wrapped in its festive linen. Eid al-Adha, the celebration of obedience and the commemoration of Abraham (Ibrahim)’ willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God’s command, had brought families together under canopies of roasted ram, plenty food, laughter and spiritual rejuvenation. And then a friend called me to announce, “Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais has passed on.” The words staggered out of my phone like a wounded gazelle. For…

In the course of his address before the National Assembly on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu announced the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR) for Professor Mobolaji Akinyemi, a professor of political science who was Nigeria’s External Affairs Minister from 1985 to 1987. The national award comes with international recognition and status, but for Akinyemi, he has had CFR attached to his name for 14 years. Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s president in 2011, awarded Akinyemi and 363 others with national honours in 2011. That year, the presidency combined the 2010 and 2011 awardees as the…