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2023: Atiku not prepared for job of a president, says Tinubu campaign DG

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Atiku cautions members against statements compromising PDP’s unity
The Tinubu Campaign Organisation (TCO) has said that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 presidential candidate is not prepared for the job.
Mr Bayo Onanuga, TCO Director, Media and Communications, said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja while reacting to comments made by Atiku in a television interview.
“We have watched Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s interview on a national television and were extremely shocked by the many lies and ignorance displayed by the PDP presidential candidate.
“In the interview, Atiku exposed himself as a man who is not prepared for the job he is applying for and a man who cannot be entrusted with our commonwealth.
“He was flippant in his response to important questions about his record of service and how he made money while serving in Customs.
“He muddled up facts and exhibited befudling absence of mind during the interview,” Onanuga said.
He said It was most shocking that Atiku in the interview, admitted that he cheated the system for decades and engaged in gross misconduct as a government worker.
Onanuga said as a customs officer at the Idi-Iroko border, Atiku revealed that he ran a commercial taxi service, claiming there was no law stopping public officers from doing business in Nigeria.
“He punched harder, claiming there is no conflict of interest in doing so, but we found this to be untrue.
“Every officer in the civil service is expected to comply with a code of conduct and service rules.
“The rules bar civil and public servants from engaging in private business while in government employment to the detriment of the service he is employed to render to the public.
“The 1999 Constitution further codifies this in part one, fifth schedule section of 2 (b),” Onanuga said.
He explained that the section said a public officer shall not, except where he is not employed on full-time basis, engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession or trade.
The TSO DG noted that the rule, however, allowed a public officer to engage in farming activities.
He therefore wondered which rule or law Atiku was relying upon for his gross misconduct as a public officer.
“It is our considered view that Atiku gamed the system all through his career in public service, culminating in his founding of the Intel Logistics along with Late Shehu Yar’Adua and some Italians.
This, he said, was even while he was still in the employment of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He added that Atiku while trying to impress his audience with his supposed knowledge of international affairs, ended up embarrassing himself with false data he cited from Egypt.
Onanuga said the TCO found Atiku’s claim that Egypt had two million police officers on the streets to be untrue.
This, he said, was especially as various sources put the number at about 500,000 for a population of 104 million and not 80 million as Atiku claimed.
He said the PDP presidential candidate also displayed poor knowledge of key sectors of the country’s economy.
Onanuga added that it was surprising that Atiku does not know the contribution of oil and gas industry to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“He claimed the sector represents 20 per cent of our national GDP whereas it is below 10 per cent.
“And it is still falling, owing to the growth of non-oil sector under the current President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress(APC) administration.
“Our conclusion is that Atiku is ill-prepared to be president of Nigeria, if he could bungle a television interview that was planned well ahead of the day and time.
“We expected the PDP presidential candidate to be well informed on any issue before coming on national television to expose himself to avoidable ridicule,” Onanuga said.
He added that it was unfortunate that while criticising APC’s 2023 Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, Atiku didn’t see seeking to be president on PDP’s ticket after eight years of a president from his part of the country as politics of exclusion.
According to him, Atiku during the interview, provided several contradictory answers, adding that in one breath, he said power rotation is not in the Constitution.
“In another breath, he said the PDP has never micro zoned any position, then he admitted that the party has always rotated power between the North and South.
Atiku’s justification as to why he became PDP’s presidential candidate, instead of a southerner is a perfect example in ellipsis,” Onanuga said

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JUST IN: Justice Adeyeye, Ekiti State’s CJ Passes On

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The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Hon Justice Oyewole Adeyeye has passed on.

The news of his passing was leaked by a reliable source under the condition of anonymity.

The sad incident, according to the source, happened in Ado Ekiti in the early hours of Tuesday.

His death is being traced to a sickness which came upon him following the injury he sustained when a section of the Ekiti State High Court Complex, Ado Ekiti wall collapsed in July 12, 2023.

ALSO READ: #EndBadGovernance Protests: Tinubu Orders Release Of Detained Minors

The late Justice Adeyeye was at the office when the building collapse happened and sustained injuries.

While the state and his family were yet to issue statements on his demise, the Ekiti State Chapter of the Association of International Female Lawyers (FIDA) has sent condolences to the family.

The condolences message read: “With deep sorrow in our hearts and in total submission to the will of God, FIDA Ekiti consoles with the family of the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Hon Justice Oyewole Adeyeye on his call to glory.

“May He find rest with his maker.

“I pray that God grants the family, the Judiciary and the people of Ekiti State, the grace to bear this irreparable loss.

Adieu great one.”

Justice Adeyeye was born 1960 in Araromi Ugbesi in Ekiti East Local Government of Ekiti State and was called to bar in 1986.

He started his career as a State Counsel in the civil service of the then Ondo State before joining the Ekiti State Judiciary Service Commission shortly after the state was created in 1996.

He was promoted to the position of a judge in the state’s high court in 2002 and has served at different occasions in the election petition tribunal.

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BREAKING: Court Drops Charges Against 76 #EndBadGovernance Protesters

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed all charges against 76 individuals accused of participating in the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.

The ruling came after the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, moved to discontinue the case under orders from President Bola Tinubu.

READ MORE: N1.3trn Fraud: EFCC Arrests Ex-Delta Gov, Ifeanyi Okowa

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, presiding over the matter, struck out the charges after hearing a motion from the AGF’s representative, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) Mohammed Abubakar.

Citing Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, the AGF formally took over the case from the Inspector General of Police, then requested to drop all charges against the defendants, many of whom are minors.

The judge granted the AGF’s application without objection from defense counsel, ordering the immediate release of the accused, who were not present in court.

This decision follows a directive issued on Monday by President Tinubu, instructing the AGF to withdraw charges against the protesters.

 

 

 

 

More to follow………. 

 

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Fuel Pricing: PETROAN Accuses Dangote Refinery Of Monopoly

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The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has raised concerns over alleged monopolistic practices by Dangote Refinery, following a public dispute about fuel pricing in the downstream petroleum sector.

Recall that the refinery, Africa’s largest, recently disclosed its petrol pricing at N990 per litre in trucks and N960 per litre into ships, a move it justifies as being in line with international rates.

READ MORE: Nigeria’s Debt Service Ratio Falls To 65% As Tinubu Tackles Economic Woes

PETROAN, however, sees this as an attempt to suppress competitors and dominate the Nigerian market.

The rift began when Dangote Refinery claimed that complaints from marketers regarding its pricing were fueled by intentions to import cheaper, potentially substandard products.

In response, PETROAN strongly rejected these allegations, suggesting that Dangote’s claims are tactics designed to maintain a monopoly in the sector.

Joseph Obele, PETROAN’s spokesperson, stated that the association remains committed to importing high-quality products at more competitive rates to ensure affordability for Nigerian consumers.

According to PETROAN, competition in the market is essential for achieving fair pricing, and any attempt to stifle it would be detrimental to consumers.

They argue that Dangote Refinery’s pricing should reflect production costs and fair margins rather than international benchmarks, especially given concessions granted by the government for the refinery’s establishment.

PETROAN also announced its plans to partner with foreign refineries and financial backers to import premium-quality petroleum products at prices below current rates.

The association aims to enter the market by December 2024, pending necessary regulatory approvals.

“The allegations that PETROAN will import substandard products are unfounded and aimed at creating an unfair playing field,” the statement read.

PETROAN warned that similar claims in the past had led to significant price hikes when competitors were pushed out, emphasizing that the entry of new players into the market would lead to more competitive pricing and ultimately benefit Nigerian consumers.

PETROAN expressed appreciation for President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to revitalizing Nigeria’s state-owned refineries and urged the government to consider privatizing the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries once rehabilitation is complete.

The association believes a transparent privatization process will help strengthen Nigeria’s downstream sector and counter monopolistic tendencies.

To address the ongoing pricing challenges in the sector, PETROAN called on the government to convene a comprehensive meeting of industry stakeholders, including major associations like IPMAN, DAPPMAN, MEMAN, NUPENG, and PENGASSAN.

PETROAN believes that collaboration among these groups will be instrumental in establishing a sustainable and competitive pricing framework for petroleum products in Nigeria.

 

 

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