Politics
Tribunal Validates Obi, Atiku’s Petitions Against Tinubu, Admits US Court Ruling
On the first day of the hearing of the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu, the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) accepted five exhibits as evidence.
The exhibits, presented by the LP and marked as Exhibits PA (1 to 5), included a copy of a United States court judgment alleging Tinubu’s conviction for drug trafficking, accompanied by a fine of $460,000.
Jubril Okutekpa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), led the presentation of these exhibits, and the tribunal, headed by Haruna Tsammani, admitted them on Tuesday, May 30, along with the deposition of the first witness, Lawrence Uchechukwu Nwakaeti.
President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) raised objections against the admission of the judgment into evidence.
During the cross-examination conducted by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who represented Tinubu, Nwakaeti acknowledged that the judgment had not been registered in Nigeria.
Olanipekun further questioned the witness about the absence of any mention of a fine in the US court judgment, to which Nwakaeti agreed.
“Will you be surprised that not a single line or word relating to fine was in the US court judgment?” Olanipekun asked.
However, Nwakaeti asserted that he had read the judgment in its entirety during his visit to the United States and would be surprised if the $460,000 forfeiture was not mentioned.
Under cross-examination by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), counsel for the APC, Nwakaeti stated that the American court judgment lacked a certificate from any American police officer.
He also denied awareness of a formal clearance report from the American Embassy concerning the alleged indictment and forfeiture on February 4, 2003.
When asked by Fagbemi to provide a copy of the charges against Tinubu, Nwakaeti admitted not having one but maintained that the indictment and forfeiture arose from civil proceedings.
In a separate petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the tribunal admitted the printout of results from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) of all 36 states as evidence.
Tsammani accepted the evidence in line with the First Schedule of the Electoral Act 2022.
The court marked the evidence as PG (1-36) and PH (1-36), representing the printouts of BVAS results and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
During the opening of Atiku’s petition, his counsel, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), informed the court that the documents were filed at the beginning of the petitions and duly served to all parties, adhering to the legal requirements.
However, counsel for the second and third respondents – Tinubu and APC – objected to the admissibility of the evidence, arguing that the documents were not submitted in accordance with the law.
INEC had declared Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
According to INEC, Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes, Abubakar had 6,984,520, while Obi polled 6,101,533.
The PDP and LP candidates rejected the result and approached the tribunal with separate petitions to challenge Tinubu’s victory.
They alleged that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election and that he failed to secure the majority of lawful votes cast at the poll.
Also, they are challenging the claim that Kashim Shettima, Tinubu’s running mate, had a dual nomination, which goes against the Electoral Act.
However, despite the objection, the court allowed the evidence to be presented in accordance with its pre-hearing orders. These orders specified that the parties would not dispute the certified true copies submitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court has adjourned the proceedings until May 31, during which the evidence will be further examined and arguments from the involved parties will be heard.
The Executive Governors from Nigeria’s South West have unanimously nominated Senator Ademola Adeleke as the chairman of the zone on the National Economic Council (NEC).
Adeleke is the Executive Governor of Osun State, southwest, Nigeria.
This, according to the Spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, transpired on Thursday, at a meeting of the NEC.
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He noted that the meeting reviewed the state of Nigeria’s electricity sector and resolved to engage subnational structures to address current challenges in the sector.
“The meeting particularly sought to build on the devolution of the electricity sector and its movement into the concurrent legislative list which empowers state governments to regulate the sector in their respective areas,” he stated.
Consequently, the NEC, therefore set up an ad hoc committee to review actions in the sector by state governments and explore ways to ramp up activities through coordination, Rasheed highlighted.
The full list of members of NEC’s Ad-hoc Committee on National Electrification:
- Governor of Cross Rivers State, Bassey Out – Chairman, South-South
- Governor of Katsina State, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda – Chairman, North-West
- Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya – Chairman, North-East
- Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke – Chairman, South-West
- Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma – Chairman, South-East
- Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang – Chairman, North-Central
- Hon. Minister of Finance, Wale Edun
- Hon. Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu
- Special Adviser, NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai
- Special Adviser, Power Minister, Hon. Bolaji Tunji
- MD/CEO Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu
- MD/CEO Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Jennifer Adighije
- Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak
- NEC Secretariat
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has announced its decision to back Northern candidates in the 2027 general elections, citing the urgent need to address the worsening socio-economic and security challenges facing the region.
In a communique issued after its National Executive Council meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday, the forum expressed deep concern over the economic state of Northern Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, attributing the region’s struggles to flawed governance and poor policy decisions.
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The ACF criticized the Federal Government’s economic policies, describing them as detrimental to the livelihoods of Northern citizens.
According to the communique, signed by the forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the policies have compounded the already dire economic conditions in the region.
The statement reads, “Arewa people remain at a great disadvantage, being already worse off economically compared to other parts of Nigeria. While economic reforms are indeed desirable, they should not impoverish the same people they are meant to serve. Policies must have a human face.”
The forum noted that the North faces chronic food insecurity, limited educational and vocational opportunities for youth, and a heavy reliance on small-scale economic activities.
“Livelihoods are currently dependent on micro activities. The region faces acute and chronic food insecurity; its youths lack education and skills training. Daunting as these may be, they can be reversed. The time to think big is now,” the communique emphasized.
The ACF also addressed the pervasive insecurity in the North, warning that the situation has begun to erode public confidence in the government.
“Security is an irreducible minimum of human existence. In this regard, insecurity in its various manifestations remains the most worrisome challenge of Arewa people, that has even started to corrosively undermine the authority of government,” the forum stated.
It condemned the government’s response to the crisis, arguing that the Federal Government has failed to meet its primary duty of safeguarding lives and property.
“That those whose responsibility it is to provide security will be saying they are doing their best is unacceptable,” the communique said. “The minimum duty of government is to safeguard life and property, and doing anything less is a failure.”
The ACF faulted what it described as the “flawed leadership selection process” under the Tinubu administration, claiming it has elevated individuals without the requisite competence or experience to key positions.
It urged the Federal Government to “review, reassess, reevaluate, and re-order the direction of its economic policies with a view to giving it the needed human face.”
Looking ahead to the next general elections, the ACF pledged its support for Northern politicians who demonstrate a clear commitment to addressing the region’s challenges and fostering national development.
“Notwithstanding the parlous state of Arewa’s glaring economic conditions, the policies of the current Federal Government have continued to make matters much worse,” the communique stated.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has urged Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to prioritize completing ongoing projects and avoid leaving any abandoned during his second term in office.
Ganduje made the call on Wednesday at the APC’s national secretariat in Abuja after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) presented Certificates of Return to Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Adelami Olaide.
Governor Aiyedatiwa’s re-election was marked by a sweeping victory in all 18 local government areas of the state during last Saturday’s governorship election.
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Ganduje praised the outcome, describing it as a testament to the people’s confidence in the APC-led administration.
“I am happy about the landslide result. The election is not the effort of the elite and middle class alone; it is also through the effort of the grassroots,” Ganduje said. “Out of 203 wards, APC won 202, losing only one ward. This is a victory embraced by all.”
Ganduje highlighted the importance of continuity and urged the governor to leverage his experience from the previous administration led by the late Rotimi Akeredolu.
“As a deputy, you knew how projects were started by your late governor. You were part of it, also as a governor for 10 months, and now as a re-elected governor. For the next four years, you will continue,” he said.
“You know the terrains, geography, and physical landscape of all 18 local government areas. Use these insights to carve out projects that will improve the lives of the Ondo people.”
Meanwhile, Ondo APC Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, commended Ganduje’s leadership and strategic direction, which he credited for the party’s success in the election.
He also expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support for Aiyedatiwa’s candidacy, despite internal opposition from some party stakeholders.
“We have finally killed PDP in Ondo,” Adetimehin declared. “Most of the leaders of that party have defected to the APC. With the landslide victory in this election, it is clear to the whole world that there is no PDP in Ondo.”
He further described Ganduje as a mentor whose leadership had been instrumental in uniting the party and ensuring victory at the polls.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, who succeeded Akeredolu and completed his tenure before securing re-election, has pledged to focus on delivering on his mandate and completing critical projects in his second term.
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