Victory for victimised Uniuyo lecturer, power restoration in Bayelsa, other top stories from South-south region

Okpebholo swears in judges ignored by Obaseki

After waiting for over a year, the hope of three judges in Edo State to return to the courtroom was realised last week after they were sworn in by Governor Monday Okpebholo.

The Nigeria Judicial Council cleared and recommended eight judges for Edo State in June 2023, but former Governor Godwin Obaseki swore in five of them about 11 months after the recommendation and shunned three others.

PREMIUM TIMES on Monday reported reasons given for their swearing-in by Mr Okpebholo.

Also, in Edo State, Governor Okpebholo reinstated staff members of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma sacked by the Obaseki administration.

Details of why the staff members were sacked were published on Monday by this newspaper.

Ibori’s daughter dumps PDP for APC

The All Progressives Congress in the House of Representatives received a new member, Erhriatake Ibori-Suenu, daughter of former Governor James Ibori of Delta State.

We reported how the lawmaker dumped Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party in a letter addressed to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas and read on the floor of the House on Thursday.

On a sad note, according to INEC, a fire destroyed election materials in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State last week.

Details of the cause of the fire and damage were published on Tuesday.

Also, in Delta, on Tuesday, we reported that Seplat Energy JV has denied encroaching on land belonging to communities in the state. The company spokesperson, Stanley Opara said the allegations were baseless and untrue.

In neighbouring Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara vowed last week to implement reports of a panel of inquiry into the post-election violence in Rivers, a move that may further deepen the political crisis in the state.

More details on the panel report and what led to the violence were published on Tuesday.

Victimised lecturer secures verdict against university

A lecturer, Inih Ebong, falsely accused of sexual harassment to justify his sack in 2002 by the University of Uyo, has won a final legal victory against the university at the Court of Appeal in Calabar, Cross River State.

PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday reported that the appellate court dismissed Uniuyo’s application for a stay of execution of the 2020 National Industrial Court judgment, which ordered the university to restate Mr Ebong and pay all his entitlements and damages.

Meanwhile, a PREMIUM TIMES investigative report which unmasked how Mr Ebong, then an associate professor of theatre arts, was falsely accused by the institution last week won the Ray Ekpu prize for investigative journalism in Akwa Ibom State.

Cletus Ukpong, South-south/South-east editor of PREMIUM TIMES won the award, announced at the annual award and dinner night of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council last week.

TCN restores power supply to Bayelsa

We reported on Wednesday that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has restored bulk power supply to Bayelsa State over two months since the supply was cut off because of vandalism.

In August, the TCN said two of its transmission towers, T98 and T99, along the Ahoada/Yenagoa 132kV line in the Igboghene community in the state, were destroyed by vandals, throwing several communities into darkness.