NEWS
JUST IN: Tribunal Strikes Out Sections Of Obi, LP’s Election Petition
The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, based in Abuja, has rejected the claim made by the Labour Party, LP, and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, regarding the alleged rigging of the 2023 presidential election in favor of President Bola Tinubu.
In a preliminary ruling delivered by Justice Abba Mohammed, the court determined that Obi and the LP did not provide credible evidence to substantiate their accusation that the election on February 25 was tainted by significant corrupt practices.
The court noted that although the Petitioners asserted that the election had irregularities, they were unable to specify the exact locations where these alleged infractions occurred.
The court also pointed out that despite Obi and the LP’s claim that the election was rigged in 18,088 polling units nationwide, they were unable to provide the specific locations of these polling units.
Additionally, the court ruled that Obi’s allegation that fictitious results were submitted to President Tinubu and the APC by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, lacked sufficient evidence to be substantiated.
Furthermore, the court emphasized that the Petitioners failed to specify the figures they alleged were deducted from their election results in various states across the federation, including Ondo, Oyo, Rivers, Yobe, Borno, Tabara, Osun, and Lagos.
The court also noted that the Petitioners did not provide details regarding the polling units where over-voting was said to have occurred or the precise numbers of unlawful votes credited to Tinubu by the INEC.
The court emphasized that even though Obi and the LP had stated their intention to rely on spreadsheets, forensic reports, and expert analysis from their expert witnesses, they did not attach these documents to the petition or provide them to the Respondents, as legally required.
Furthermore, the court noted that the petition contained significant allegations related to violence, non-voting, vote suppression, fictitious recording of election results, and corrupt practices.
However, the Petitioners did not provide specific details or particulars regarding the polling units where these incidents allegedly occurred.
The court determined that various sections of the petition containing the allegations were deemed “vague, imprecise, nebulous, and lacking in specific details.”
Consequently, the court decided to strike out paragraphs 9, 60, 61, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 77, 78, 83, and 89 of the petition.
However, it’s important to note that the court dismissed the argument put forth by the Respondents claiming that Obi was not validly nominated by the LP to participate in the presidential election.
The court acknowledged that the Respondents presented the argument that Obi had departed from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on May 24, 2022, and subsequently joined the LP on May 27, 2022.
According to the Respondents, as of May 30, 2022, Obi was not a valid member of the LP, and therefore, he could not have legitimately participated in the LP’s presidential primary election.
They contended that his name should not have been included in the LP’s membership register submitted to INEC, as this should have been done 30 days prior to the primary election.
In its ruling, the court asserted that matters related to party membership are considered internal affairs of a political party and are not subject to judicial review.
The court further emphasized that it is the exclusive right of the LP to determine who qualifies as its member. It stated that the Respondents lacked the legal standing to challenge or question Obi’s membership status within the LP.
The court also ruled that, in contrast to the argument made by Tinubu and the APC, the Petitioners were not required to include Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who came second in the election, or his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as parties to the case.
It clarified that both Atiku and the PDP were not statutory Respondents or necessary parties to the petition.
With the preliminary issues settled, the Chairman of the five-member panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, is presently delivering the court’s judgment on the substantive matter.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with recovering government vehicles reportedly in private hands.
The committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, has been given a two-week mandate to retrieve the vehicles and ensure their return to the state government.
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Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the importance of accountability in the management of public resources.
He urged the committee to carry out its assignment thoroughly and within the bounds of the law.
In his response, Okungbowa expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting the team with the assignment, vowing to deliver results within the stipulated timeframe.
“A lot of vehicles used by the past administration are missing, as those in custody of the vehicles have refused to return them,” Okungbowa said.
“The governor deemed it fit to inaugurate us today with a mandate to recover all government vehicles in private hands.”
The committee, which includes representatives from Edo’s three senatorial districts, is set to investigate and recover the vehicles based on credible intelligence already at their disposal.
“We already have vital information regarding some persons still holding government vehicles,” Okungbowa stated. “We will do the job according to the law, and both the government and the people will be satisfied with the outcome.”
He also called on members of the public to assist the committee by providing information about any government vehicles that may still be in private possession.
“We want to appeal to members of the public who might be aware of anyone still keeping government vehicles in their houses to please inform us to enable the committee to recover such for the Edo State Government,” Okungbowa said.
The committee’s vice chairman, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, will work alongside other members to ensure the success of the initiative. The public can reach the committee at 08110165121.
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