Politics
#NigeriaDecides: Gov Election Postponed Due To Peter Obi, Atiku Legal Battle
On Wednesday, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, arrived at the Court of Appeal in Abuja with his legal team where a ruling was being delivered in a lawsuit requesting a modification to the previous order allowing him and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) colleague, Atiku Abubakar, to examine the election materials used in the February 25 presidential election.
He was accompanied by the Labour Party’s Chairman, Julius Abure, and former All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Chairman turned Labour Party Senator-elect, Victor Umeh.
Despite coming in third in the presidential election, Obi took to Twitter to announce his presence at Wednesday’s hearing, which pertains to a motion requesting an amendment to a prior court order permitting him to scrutinize the election materials.
Obi stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has failed to comply with the court order, as he and his legal team have been unable to access the electoral materials.
Peter Obi, along with numerous supporters of the Obi-Datti campaign, arrived at the courtroom at approximately 1:45 pm.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday 7th postponed its ruling to Wednesday in a request made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to amend the court’s order for the inspection of materials used in the February 25th presidential election.
Justice Joseph Ikyegh, who presided over the three-member panel at the Court of Appeal, announced the new date for the ruling after lawyers representing the parties in the lawsuit presented their arguments both for and against the motion.
On March 4th, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) filed a request with the Court of Appeal seeking permission to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which was utilized during the presidential and parliamentary elections, in preparation for the upcoming governorship and state houses of assembly elections.
INEC explained that the reconfiguration is necessary to enable the BVAS to function efficiently in the upcoming polls.
Mr. Inuwa Tanimu, SAN, representing INEC, assured the court that the defendants have no reason to be concerned since the information that will be erased during the reconfiguration will be stored and protected on the cloud server.
Tanimu has stated that the electoral commission is running out of time and if the previous order is not changed, it could have an impact on the upcoming governorship election on March 11.
On the other hand, Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu and Chief Emeka Etiaba, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, who are representing Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar respectively, have opposed the changing of the order.
They argue that vital information required to prove their case will be lost if the order is varied.
Ikpeazu has emphasized that the authentic number of accredited voters can only be obtained from the BVAS, he warns that reconfiguring the BVAS could result in the loss of crucial information.
Furthermore, he suggests that the March 11 elections could be postponed if the circumstances require it. He urged the court to dismiss the Commission’s application.
In contrast, Ikpeazu has requested the court to permit his clients to carry out a physical/digital forensic examination of the presidential electoral materials. Additionally, he requested an order directing INEC to issue a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the registered voters and polling units results.
According to Ikpeazu, the purpose of the request was to ensure that evidence is preserved before it is lost.
He stated that information on the INEC server can vary from day to day and it was only after obtaining information from the BVAS that they were able to demonstrate that there was no over-voting during last year’s gubernatorial election.
INEC had declared candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, winner of the presidential election having scored the highest number of votes cast in the election.
Tinubu polled over eight million votes to emerged victorious, while Atiku came second with nearly seven million votes and Obi third, with a little above six million.
Similarly, both Tinubu and Atiku won 12 states each, while Obi won 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Following the announcement of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the presidential election, the opposition candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, expressed dissatisfaction with the results.
They vowed to challenge the outcome of the election and pursue their grievances through the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which is responsible for hearing and determining cases related to the conduct of the presidential election.
According to reports, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and his commissioners held a closed-door meeting on Wednesday 8th March, 2023 to discuss the upcoming governorship election.
The meeting, which commenced at 7 PM, reportedly led to the decision to postpone the election to March 18.
Politics
2027: Tinubu Will Beat Atiku, Obi by Wide Margin, Says Bwala
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has predicted that President Tinubu will defeat his major challengers by a wide margin in the 2027 presidential election.
Bwala made the prediction on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the political strength of the Tinubu administration and the state of the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the margin of victory for Tinubu would be so wide that Nigerians would be surprised.
SEE ALSO: Tinubu Celebrates Adviser Daniel Bwala On 50th Birthday
“Let me tell you, and let me say it categorically, and I’ll be happy to come back. The margin of gap that President Bola Tinubu will give each and every one of these candidates will be so much that you won’t believe it,” Bwala said.
Explaining the basis for his prediction, Bwala pointed to the number of governors he said had aligned with the president, arguing that governors control important political structures within their respective states.
“No, I am saying—you asked me to give data now. So this is data. You used to conjecture, I speak to data,” he said.
“Since then, President Bola Tinubu has got how many governors on his side? How many governors have joined him? The governors are the chief executive officers of their respective states. They coordinate the structures of the state. They won their own election to be governors.”
Bwala said the support of the governors would translate into political structures, resources and goodwill for Tinubu ahead of the election.
“These people say, ‘We are putting our goodwill, our resources, our structure, and our support to the President.’ You multiply that by the number of people that have come to him, then you stretch it further by the people who are impacted positively by his… what do you call it? By his policy,” he added.
The presidential aide also cited what he described as progress under Tinubu since 2023.
“Then you look at how his… Before he became President, the Naira… you couldn’t trade with the Naira around the world. You can do it now!” he said.
“So these are facts, verifiable data to suggest that President Bola from 2023 to now has made a marked progress.”
Bwala Claims Atiku, Obi Have Lost Key Supporters
Bwala also turned his attention to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, who are among the prominent opposition figures expected to feature prominently in the 2027 presidential contest.
He claimed Atiku had lost a significant number of key political figures who previously worked with him.
“But in terms of the other candidates who said he will not win: Atiku Abubakar lost close to 35% of key people that you know around him,” Bwala said.
“All the governors that worked for him that time are not going to be with him, I need you to know that in case you don’t know.”
Bwala also claimed Obi had lost most of the critical figures who supported his 2023 presidential campaign.
“Peter Obi lost 75% of the critical people that carried his campaign—they’ve all disappeared,” he said.
“And some of them went to Atiku, some of them went wherever they could go to. In terms of the other candidate, they just came to mark presence there.”
‘They Lost the Election Already’
Bwala further accused some opposition politicians of displaying what he described as a “defeatist attitude” ahead of the 2027 election.
“But I’m talking of these people that you think they are making a case—what they have is what we call defeatist attitude,” he said.
“How can you in one breath say you’re winning election, and in another breath you’re already threatening Nigeria will be… there will be no Nigeria, there will be all those things?”
He added: “Even the talking points of their campaign will suggest to you that they’ve lost the victory. They lost the election already.”
Bwala Defends Tinubu’s Policies
The presidential aide also defended the administration’s policies, arguing that they were improving the lives of Nigerians, particularly those in the informal sector.
“See, how can our policy… Our policy is raising a lot of people from the doldrums,” Bwala said.
“Look at the people in the informal sector of the economy, the women… You need to see—some of these your news media have been covering it.”
He also questioned the level of engagement some opposition politicians had with ordinary Nigerians before becoming prominent political figures.
“In terms of these people you’ve mentioned, tell me the last time they were actively involved in caring about the internal… When was the last time Amechi, before today, before he was made Vice President, that he had any engagement with the masses?” he asked.
“So you can come overnight, immediately, and just start talking?”
Politics
2027: I’ll Bring Petrol Price Down to ₦300, Says Donald Duke
Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has said he would bring the price of petrol down to about ₦300 per litre if elected president in the 2027 general election.
Duke disclosed this on Wednesday while explaining his proposed approach to crude oil production and domestic fuel supply.
ALSO READ: 2027: INEC Must Prove Nigerians Wrong on Election Credibility — Donald Duke
When asked about the realistic price of petrol under his presidency, the former Cross River State governor said his target would be to reduce the pump price to about ₦300 per litre.
“To bring it to about 300 Naira. I’ve told you… it sounds so outlandish, but I’ve given you the arithmetic,” Duke said.
He explained that his proposal would be based on allocating a portion of Nigeria’s crude oil production for domestic consumption and selling the remaining volume.
According to him, if the country’s daily consumption requires 600,000 barrels, that volume would be allocated for domestic use, while the remaining one million barrels would be sold.
“Because I allocate 600,000 barrels if that’s what you consume daily. Allocate that to yourself. The other one million, you can sell,” he said.
His proposal comes as the cost of petrol remains a major issue in Nigeria, with fuel prices having significant implications for transportation, businesses and household expenses.
Duke is seeking the presidency on the platform of the PRP in the 2027 general election.
Politics
2027: INEC Must Prove Nigerians Wrong on Election Credibility — Donald Duke
Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, Donald Duke, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prove to Nigerians that it can deliver a free and fair election.
Duke made the call on Wednesday while speaking about the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process and public confidence in INEC.
The former Cross River State governor said the onus was on the electoral commission to convince Nigerians that the 2027 election would be free and fair, noting that previous developments had left many citizens sceptical about INEC.
SEE ALSO: 2027: Donald Duke Reveals Why He Wants to Be Nigeria’s President
“INEC has to prove… the onus is on them actually to convince Nigerians that there will be a free and fair election,” Duke said.
He recalled the postponement of the 2019 general election, which was announced just hours before voting was scheduled to begin.
According to him, the development contributed to Nigerians’ growing distrust of the electoral commission.
Duke said INEC had assured the public of its preparedness for the election before the postponement, which was announced around 4am on election day.
He criticised the explanations given for the postponement, saying the commission should have taken responsibility for the situation.
The PRP candidate, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said he was on the ballot at the time but did not participate because his party was involved in court proceedings.
Duke further said the fact that the same electoral institution remains responsible for conducting elections means INEC must now work to restore public confidence.
“That same INEC, the institution still exists, so the onus is on them,” he said.
He added: “The onus is really on INEC. They’ve got to prove the skeptics wrong. But so far, their records in the past, there’s a lot to… expectations are poor.”
Duke also recalled concerns surrounding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the 2023 general election.
“The last election in ’23, the BVAS suddenly stopped working. Now, he says it’s going to work. Let’s see,” he said.
The PRP candidate’s comments come as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with INEC expected to conduct the presidential and National Assembly elections in January 2027.





