Politics
Atiku Petition: Myself, Other Party Agents Signed Nasarawa Results Under Duress, Witness Tells Court
During the proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja, Mr. Ibrahim Hamza, a witness, came forward on Monday to testify that he had been compelled under pressure to sign the presidential election results in Nasarawa state.
Mr. Hamza, the 10th Petitioners’ Witness (PW-10), testified before Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel at the PEPC, providing details about his role as a state collation agent for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the presidential election held on February 25.
In his testimony, Hamza revealed that officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had informed him that he would not receive a copy of the election result unless he signed it, putting him under duress to comply.
He said “Myself and other agents of the party signed the result under duress. They threatened that we would not be issued a copy unless we signed the results.”
During his testimony, the witness informed the court that there were a total of 3,256 polling units in Nasarawa state, emphasizing that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had agents present in all the units and wards across the state.
When presented with a copy of the presidential result from Nasarawa state, which had already been submitted as evidence, the witness alleged that it had been tampered with. He maintained that the version he had signed was a clean and unaltered copy.
According to the witness, based on the result presented in court, the Labour Party emerged as the winner of the presidential election in Nasarawa state, securing a total of 191,361 votes, which accounted for 35.40% of the total votes cast.
Hamza further informed the court that there was a system failure in the uploading process of the election results by INEC after the election took place.
Earlier in the court proceedings, Alhaji Mohammed Madaki, the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), disclosed that based on the “purported results” published by INEC, the PDP’s candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, did not secure the constitutionally required 25% of the votes from the FCT, Abuja.
Led by Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, counsel for Atiku Abubakar and the PDP, the witness identified Exhibit PC-37, which was the election result from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), already presented as evidence in court.
During cross-examination by Mr. Abdullahi Aliu, counsel for INEC, the Chairman of the PDP in the FCT reiterated that according to the law, it was mandatory for a presidential candidate to secure at least 25% of the votes in the FCT to be declared the winner of the election.
Asked if he was aware that going by his position on 25% votes in the FCT, his candidate, Atiku, was not qualified to be declared winner of the presidential election, the witness, said: “Yes, by the purported result published by INEC, he is not entitled to be returned as President.”
He told the court that the normal practice was that copies of the presidential election are snapped at polling units and uploaded to INEC’s I-Rev portal.
Alhaji Madaki told the court that PDP had agents across all the polling units, adding that agents of the party also signed result of the presidential election from the FCT.
While being cross-examined by President Bola Tinubu’s lawyer, Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, the witness, told the court that there were a total of 2, 822 polling units in the FCT.
Also responding to questions from counsel for the All Progressives Congress, APC, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the witness said he has lived in the FCT for over 35 years.
He told the court that he personally wrote his witness statement on oath at a business center and took the same to his lawyer for examination.
When he was presented with a document to read before the court, the witness, said he could not see the letters without his reading glasses which he said broke Sunday night.
Asked to tell the court the meaning of “conscientiously” that was contained in his statement, the witness, replied: “Honestly, I cannot remember.”
When he was asked if he was aware that there are a total of 176, 606 polling units across Nigeria, the witness, said he was not aware.
Shortly after Alhaji Madaki was discharged by the court, the ninth witness, PW-9, Mr. Abraham David, who mounted the box, told the court that he served as an agent of the PDP in the FCT, during the election.
The PW-9, told the court that Atiku, being the presidential candidate of his party, scored only 15% of votes in the FCT.
Asked under cross-examination, if he was aware that Atiku did not secure up to 25% votes in the FCT and therefore, going by argument of his party, not qualified to be returned as winner of the presidential poll, Mr. David, said: “I agree that having not score 25%, he is not entitled to be returned as President. Even Tinubu too did not also score 25%.
“If it was not wrong to return Tinubu who did not score 25%, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar can also be returned. The person that was returned by INEC did not score 25% in the FCT,” the witness insisted.
The witness informed the court that he personally visited approximately 15 polling units in the FCT during the presidential election. He stated that while he witnessed the collation process, the results were not transmitted to INEC I-Rev as mandated by the law.
The witness further alleged that the collation of the presidential result in the FCT took around three days, during which he claimed that INEC officials compromised the integrity of the electoral process.
When asked to provide the names of the INEC officials involved in the alleged electoral malpractice, the witness stated that he did not know their names.
Recall that one aspect of the joint petition filed by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to contest the results of the presidential election was their claim that President Tinubu of the APC failed to obtain at least one-quarter of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja.
The petitioners argued that out of the total votes cast in the FCT, which amounted to 478,652, President Tinubu received only 90,902 votes, accounting for 18.99% of the total votes.
“The Petitioners shall contend that to be declared duly elected, a candidate, in addition to obtaining not less than a quarter (25%) of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of all the States, must also receive at least one quarter (25%) of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja, this being an additional requirement introduced by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the said Constitution having clearly distinguished the FCT, Abuja as a separate entity by specific and express mention,” they added.
During the Monday proceedings, the panel led by Justice Tsammani heard the testimony of Dr. Abiye Sekibo, a former Minister of Transportation and a prominent member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers state, Dr. Sekibo who appeared as the 7th Petitioners’ Witness (PW7).
During his examination-in-chief, Dr. Sekibo presented a letter of appointment issued by the PDP, appointing him as the Coordinator for the Presidential Election. The letter was admitted as evidence and marked as Exhibits PU.
Dr. Sekibo also identified Exhibit PC-32, which had already been submitted to the court, as the result of the presidential election from Rivers State as announced by INEC..
Under cross-examination, the witness insisted that Atiku won the presidential election in Rivers state, even though he accused President Tinubu and the APC of instigating violence that scared electorates away from many polling units.
Dr Sekibo, who told the court that he voted in his Local Government Area, Okirika, further alleged that the results of the election were not uploaded across about 6000 polling units in the state.
He said: “I was in my Local Government Area on the election day and I voted. I was verified, using the BVAS device.
“The accreditation took less than five minutes and I was thereafter given the ballot and I voted. I stayed for a while at my polling unit, for about 10 minutes before I left.
“Thereafter I left to see what was going on and came back to my unit when they started counting. I was there when they finished and unfortunately, the result could not be uploaded.
“The result sheet was filed in my presence and signed by party agents. I also witnesses results being collated in more than polling units at different times. There are more than 6000 polling units in Rivers state.
“In almost all the polling units, having concluded the election they could not upload. This happened across the entire state.”
Asked if he was aware that the 20 polling units he visited, out of the over 6000 polling units in the state, amounted to about 0.5%, the witness, said: “I will leave the calculation for mathematics”.
Asked to mention the names of the agents that harassed voters and stopped uploading of the results, he said; “I don’t need to know their names. But by their actions, one could know who sent them”.
On the alleged violence on the election day, Dr. Sekibo, said: “I received calls from our members that were asking to be rescued. We immediately responded and started heading to Obio/Akpor after I got the call, but we were blocked.”
When questioned about his presence at any of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) where members of his party were reportedly attacked, the witness clarified that he was not physically present at those locations.
During the cross-examination conducted by Prince Fagbemi, SAN, counsel for the APC, the witness acknowledged that the agents of his party whom he had claimed were attacked during the election were still alive.
Asked why he did not mention names of perpetrators of the violence in his statement on oath before the court, the witness, said: “I didn’t have to. What they were doing in the field showed who they were. By the action they carried out, we knew whose interest they were protecting.”
Asked if he was aware that in the 2023 elections, votes were not based on political party lines, as the PDP, won the presidential election in Katsina, Dr Sekibo, replied: “The PDP won the governorship election in Rivers State and we are saying that we also won the presidential election. I am not from Katsina”.
The witness stated to the court that he was not the individual who signed the results of the presidential election in Rivers state.
However, the court then adjourned the proceedings, with further hearings scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
In an effort to reduce Nigeria’s debt burden and stabilize the economy, President Bola Tinubu announced on Monday that the country’s debt service-to-revenue ratio has fallen from 97 to 65 percent over the 17 months since he took office.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for seven new ministers at the State House, Abuja, Tinubu emphasized the government’s progress in stabilizing the economy despite challenging conditions.
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“For us, it was a challenge when the nation was servicing its debt with 97 percent of its revenue. It was nothing but the edge of the cliff,” Tinubu said.
“But today, I can report to you that we have brought that down to 65 percent, and we have never defaulted in meeting all obligations, both foreign and domestic.”
His remarks follow Afreximbank’s recent projection that Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio could reach 110.4 percent by 2024.
Afreximbank’s 2024 Nigeria Country Brief warned of a troubling upward trend in debt servicing, which could see the ratio surge from 33.8 percent in 2017 to a projected 110.4 percent next year.
However, with continued reforms, the report suggested the ratio might decline to 62.6 percent by 2025.
In the first nine months of 2023, debt servicing consumed 66.9 percent (₦5.79 trillion) of Nigeria’s total revenue, a slight improvement from 99.3 percent (₦4.23 trillion) during the same period in 2022.
Tinubu, while optimistic about economic recovery, acknowledged the ongoing struggles faced by Nigerians due to a sharp increase in the cost of living triggered by recent economic reforms.
“We have taken the bull by the horns,” the President asserted. “We have stopped the scavengers. We will fully put an end to the profiteers and smugglers of our resources across the country. We are not shirking our responsibility; we are confronting it head-on.”
He further expressed confidence that Nigeria was on a “good path” toward recovery, emphasizing that the government remains committed to re-engineering the economy.
He cited the introduction of a new minimum wage as one measure aimed at mitigating rising living costs.
Monday’s ceremony also saw the swearing-in of seven new ministers, part of a recent cabinet reshuffle.
In two batches, ministers including Idi Maiha (Livestock Development) and Dr Jumoke Oduwole (Industry, Trade, and Investment) took their oaths.
The reshuffle, which saw 10 ministers reassigned, five discharged, and seven new appointments confirmed by the Senate, reflects Tinubu’s stated commitment to reshaping his cabinet to meet Nigeria’s evolving challenges.
As the administration continues to implement reforms, President Tinubu emphasized a long-term vision for economic sustainability, not only for the current generation but also for future ones.
“Despite the challenges, we must undertake the job of re-engineering and retooling this country’s economic path,” he said.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has mandated that Godwins Omobayo, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, appear in person on November 26, 2024, following allegations of contempt of court stemming from his failure to comply with a previous ruling.
Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Monday, asserting that Omobayo, described as the alleged contemnor, must be afforded a fair hearing in accordance with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
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The court action was initiated by Philip Shaibu, who was reinstated as Deputy Governor after the court invalidated his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly on July 17.
Justice Omotosho ruled that the impeachment proceedings lacked due process and that the grounds for Shaibu’s removal did not constitute gross misconduct.
Shaibu’s suit targets several parties, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Edo State House of Assembly, seeking enforcement of the court’s judgment and demanding that Omobayo vacate the deputy governorship position.
Omobayo assumed office on April 8, following Shaibu’s impeachment.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Omobayo was served legal documents but failed to appear.
In response, Shaibu’s attorney, Ayotunde Ogunleye, SAN, urged the court to compel Omobayo’s attendance, citing the need to uphold judicial authority.
In delivering his ruling, Justice Omotosho adjourned the case until November 26 for further proceedings.
He directed that hearing notices be served to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th defendants involved in the charge.
“In the interest of justice and to provide the alleged contemnor with an opportunity to defend himself and receive a fair hearing, in accordance with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I hereby order that the alleged contemnor appear in court in person on November 26, 2024,” the judge stated.
It is noteworthy that the current tenure of the state government is set to conclude on November 12.
On the heels of the salvo fired by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria’s 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, signalling what might be a long-drawn hot exchange of words, the Presidency has made what it called ‘our initial response to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’.
This was contained in a statement put out on micro-blogging site, X, Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga.
The former vice president had detailed the shortcomings of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, making efforts to detail what he would have done differently, that would have better results for Nigeria.
In a swift response, the Presidency countered that Atiku and his ideas “were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll”, based on his antecedents.
The statement reads, “OUR INITIAL RESPONSE TO ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR
“We have just read a statement credited to former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in which he tried to discredit President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform programmes while pushing his untested agenda as a better alternative.
“First, Alhaji Atiku’s ideas, which lacked details, were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll.
“If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism.
“Abubakar lost the election partly because he vowed to sell the NNPC and other assets to his friends. Nigerians have not forgotten this, nor would they be comforted by Atiku’s antecedents when he ran the economy in the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government between 1999 and 2003.
“As vice president, Atiku supervised a questionable privatisation programme. He and his boss demonstrated a lack of faith in our educational system, and both went to establish their universities while they allowed ours to flounder.
“Talk is cheap. It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes even when there are irrefutable indices that the economic reforms yield positives despite the temporary difficulties.
“Despite the futile attempt to hoodwink Nigerians again in his statement, it is gratifying that the former Vice President could not repudiate the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right things to do.
“His advocacy for a gradualist approach only showed that he was not in tune with the enormity of problems inherited by President Tinubu.
“It is so easy to paint a flowery to-do list. It is expected of an election loser.
“President Tinubu met a country facing several grave challenges. Fuel subsidies were siphoning away enormous resources we could ill afford, and there was criminal arbitrage in the forex market.
“No leader worth his name will allow these two economic disorders to persist without moving to end them surgically.
“While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity.
“Alhaji Abubakar calls for empathy and a human face to reforms. We have no problem with this as it resonates well with our administration’s focus. President Tinubu has consistently emphasised the need for compassion and protection of the most vulnerable.
“The administration has prioritised social safety nets and targeted support for those affected by recent economic transitions.”
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