BREAKING: Court of Appeal denies resignation of Justice Ugo

The Court of Appeal has denied recent reports claiming that a member of the five-member panel overseeing petitions seeking to nullify President Bola Tinubu’s election, Justice Moses Ugo resigned.

A high-ranking official from the court refuted the news as “fake” and attributed it to “evil rumour mongers.”

Speaking to Vanguard, the anonymous official emphasized that no such resignation occurred and clarified the actual proceedings of the panel. He stated that parties involved in the petitions were granted time to submit and exchange their final written addresses, and the panel would subsequently announce a date for court appearances to adopt their processes before scheduling judgments.

The official further dismissed another circulated rumor about a former Governor of Rivers State holding a meeting with panel members outside the country. He deemed both pieces of information laughable, considering the significant workload on the justices’ desks and the impracticality of such meetings.

The alleged “fake news” gaining traction on social media suggested that Justice Boloukuoromo Moses Ugo resigned from the panel due to pressure from the Executive arm of the government, fearing that the country’s democracy could be compromised.

The report claimed that Justice Ugo was asked to rule in favour of President Tinubu, suppress evidence, and dismiss all petitions against him.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kayode Ariwoola, had also recently debunked rumors of a telephone conversation with President Tinubu concerning the petitions against him.