₦airaland Forum

favor914:
We are over 200 million Nigerians, it is irrelevant what a few miserable minded Miscreants may purport.

Mraphel:
She keeps degrading herself everytime..we still awaiting American's response to her letters..i bet it she's gonna be ignored like an Obidotss she is. She better thank God for opportunity she got on Yoruba land.

Every Igbo that made it in Nigeria or abroad passed through Yoruba land.

Go and verify.

helinues:
We are not in 1993, we still remember those who took the petition to court for annulment.

This is 2023, 3/5 plus heady. Bring your dust bin materials petition make we tossed am at where it belongs, of course dust bin

helinues:
Hope you guys are not embarking on another round of Jubril, so as almost 8 years went bye chasing his shadow

helinues:
What's the trolling on Tinubu calling him a drug baron?

Is Obi also a criminal who was detained, harassed, deported from UK .

If your answer about Obi is No, then the assertion that his Excellency Bola Tinubu is a drug baron is NO to us too

helinues:
Exactly, the petitions are in court but why are the opposition supporters still playing dirty politics?

The 2023 general elections are now over with the completion of the April 15 supplementary elections in 2,660 polling units (PUs) across Nigeria.

A rerun of governorship, State Assembly, senatorial and House of Representatives elections took place in 185 Local Government Areas in over 20 states following violence, cancelled votes, late arrival of materials, etc.

The States include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Rivers, Taraba, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.


Earlier, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, while state elections were held on March 18, one week after the original date.

INEC remains in the eye of the storm as a cross-section of Nigerians maintain it contributed to the controversial outcome of the presidential election and that of governorship in some states.


They contend that the malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the failure to timely update the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IRev) was a breach.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu had promised the results would be uploaded in real-time as it was during the July 16 gubernatorial election in Osun.

At a media briefing in November 2022, the INEC chairman dismissed reports that the commission was planning to jettison transmission from PUs.


“The commission will upload polling unit level results and citizens will have access to those results in real-time. This innovation was introduced by the commission, the commission cannot undermine itself,” he noted.

But that did not happen in its entirety, especially during the presidential contest, where results were uploaded even after Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner on March 1.

On February 27, a report by the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) joint observation mission declared that INEC lacked transparency.


Days later, FixPolitics, a movement led by a former Minister, Oby Ezekwesili, said the disputed results have made the populace to resent INEC, question the integrity of the ballot and the process.

In a chat with DAILY POST, a citizen close to the commission revealed the efforts by the IT department to keep the IReV portal up while the presidential election was going on.

“The results were uploaded without problems until late afternoon when continuous glitches were observed. INEC technicians, who were also at the national collation centre in Abuja, commenced work on the site.

“That took about two hours but by then, Nigerians, officers on the field and agents were understandably in a panic mode. If you remember, the site came up again and more results were uploaded.

“I agree that INEC should have handled communication better. I also believe they wanted to deliver the best election but you cannot rule out human errors, questionable staff, politicians and security personnel,” he said.

The source also spoke on BVAS and the transfer of ex-INEC Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Director, Chidi Nwafor to Enugu as the Administrative Secretary before the election.

“Those linking Chidi and BVAS are not informed; it was not a one-man invention. He and the ICT team developed the system, so other engineers know everything about it.

“The good thing is that the contents of BVAS are safe and secure, meaning a number of aggrieved candidates will be able to successfully prove their cases in court.”

In his contribution, a legal practitioner, Festus Ogun told DAILY POST that the general elections “leave quite a lot to be desired”.

“As an election lawyer and a citizen, the level of inefficiencies in the conduct is unprecedented. INEC under-delivered and didn’t meet the expectations of Nigerians.

“Clearly, as a result of the failure on the part of INEC to conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible election, the duty has shifted to our tribunals,” the rights activist added.

But Nigerians keeping track are concerned about the seeming delay at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) and the State Election Petition Tribunals who can remove elected candidates even after inauguration.

According to the Electoral Act, 2022, Section 132 (7) & (, petitions must be filed within 21 days after declaration of results; the tribunals are to deliver judgments within six months from the petition date.

At the Court of Appeal in Abuja, the PEPT secretariat, five standard bearers and their parties have filed separate petitions against Tinubu and the APC.

They are Nnadi Osita, Action Peoples Party (APP); Solomon Okangbuan, Action Alliance (AA); Chichi Ojei, Allied Peoples Movement (APM); Peter Obi, Labour Party (LP), and Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The issues raised border on alleged exclusion of Okanigbuan’s name on the ballot, Tinubu’s education background, alleged age falsification and drug trafficking indictment in the United States of America.

Others are Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution (25 percent of votes in the FCT); a candidate standing for presidential election but also earlier a senatorial candidate (VP-elect Kashim Shettima). Shettima replaced the placeholder, Kabiru Masari.

The President-elect, the ruling party, and INEC have responded to all arguments, while the nation and the international community await the tribunal to start day-to-day hearing.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), legal luminary, Femi Falana (SAN), parties and stakeholders have called for a live broadcast of the proceedings.

In his opinion, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) stated that the presidential tribunal could conclude hearings within seven days if the court systems are proactive.

nairavsdollars:
With the 2023 elections wrapped up two weekends ago, following the concluding supplementary polls across 24 states, in addition to the governorship exercises in Kebbi and Adamawa States, all is now set for the formal handover of power on May 29, from the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari to the incoming President-elect Bola Tinubu.

Although the elections have generally raised some dusts, which have largely propelled the defeated to challenge some of the outcomes, none of these will stall preparations for May 29, as plans are said to already be in top gears – from military parade, to security arrangements and other inauguration activities. The committees are reportedly steaming.

Interestingly, Nigeria’s political history – old or contemporary – has no record of any presidential election ever upturned by the courts of the land. Ko sele ri (never happened before) and this is common knowledge. Such developments are privileges enjoyed at other levels of political leadership – governorship, senate, House of Representatives and so on.

Once a winner is announced by the statutory electoral body in a presidential run, it is usually game over in Nigeria, and unfortunately so. This is why those waiting on the Supreme Court to do some magic in this year's election and perhaps, remove the President-elect may wait endlessly to no avail.

This is not to discourage or abuse their confidence in the judiciary or impugne the integrity of the courts; it is because even the winner, whose victory and mndate are being challenged has the same level of confidence, if not more, in the same judiciary. That is where the challenge is.

Therefore, in court, it is never about what you think is right or wrong in an electoral dispute, but the case presented to it by the lawyers of the disputing parties and how they presented it, beyond all doubts and with the facts laid bare on the card.

In other words, what the court does with the dispute is dependent on the submissions of the lawyers engaged by the parties involved and the facts put forward. And since the court is by no stretch a “Father Christmas”, it would not award what is not before it or prayed for by any of the parties. This, of course, underscores a standard logic upon which the law stands and functions.

The 2007 general election that brought former Presidenr Umar Musa Yar’Adua to power, and which the late Nigerian leader admitted was a "monumental fraud" should have been reviewed and upturned. That, too, was not touched by the courts, because the president’s lawyers did a good job, and not because the justices actually thought that the poll was credible, free and fair.

Convinced that the election that brought him into power was a palpable mess, Yar’Adua had immediately commenced the process of an electoral reform. It was a brain child of his administration, even though death refused for him to drive it to a logical close.

The point here is that this presidential election is already won and lost, and everyone will move on to the next phase – governance – in no time. Like the Americans are quick to say soon after their often testy presidential poll – no matter how chaotic – and a winner is announced: "We are more than just the red and blue states; we are Americans."

It is also why attempts to discredit the election on account of the presidential leg of it is considered disingenuous by other interested parties, since the same exercise, which ran side-by-side with the national assembly polls, produced federal lawmakers for a number of the different political parties across the states. Many states were also lost and won at the second leg of the elections.

In the same presidential election, the president lost his state. The president-elect lost his too. The party’s chairman, Abdulahi Adamu also lost. The APC campaign DG, and Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong was defeated as well. Many governors lost their bids to the senate and a majority of them were unable to have choice successors put in office. It was a radical election that defied many lucidities. And should there be a problem with the presidential poll, then, it’s a no-brainer that other legs of the elections too were flawed.

However, moving forward is why a memo to the president-elect on some of the first steps expected to be taken on assumption of office, becomes imperative in larger and collective interest. For Tinubu to battle and earn the requisite credibility for his mandate to sail safe, he has to be different in form and content. But the legitimacy of his government could remain controversial for a long time.

Unfortunately, Tinubu took part in no debate at all, let alone an electrifying public engagement, where his ideas could have been properly juxtaposed with those of the other candidates, notwithstanding the organised flashes. Yet, it is understandable that the Nigerian problems have remained the same for many years as though a recurring decimal.

What, therefore, could mark Tinubu different is approach and the result thereof. After all, every leadership is distinguished by style. But these are crucial signs that must be evident from the first day – right at the Eagle Square, where he would be administered the oath of office, on May 29.

First, this year’s election ranks as the most divisive in the history of the country. And for a man, who despite running on a Muslim-Muslim ticket, still won the election, unifying the people of Nigeria in every way possible is clearly not negotiable. It could mark the beginning of the credibility journey for the Tinubu presidency.

Two, to see Tinubu announce some personal and major but basic appointments that do not require legislative approval the same day he assumes office is a sign he would hit the ground running. But if the Lagos style is to be reckoned, then many of the appointments may not come months after assuming office. Muhammadu Buhari probably learnt from him.

Otherwise, many would have thought that the office of the Chief of Staff, for example, should have been long announced, even before his inauguration, to give a sense of organisation through the calendarisation of his activities and movements. But the man has not even deemed that expedient, and on the contrary, appears to be enjoying the controversy about who might have been favoured for the office.

Three, his government has to move away from the timeworn practice of just sending names of ministerial nominees to the Senate for orchestrated clearance, a development that always ends up making the red chamber seem like a circus show promoter than a lawmaking body that it is.

What does this mean? It means Tinubu would do well by not just sending names of prospective ministers to the senate, but attaching their intended portfolios, so screening would be portfolio-specific and interesting. At that point, what you see is what you get at the get-go.

In addition to these, how soon he makes these appointments is as important as the appointments. Time is of the essence and he must act in strict understanding of this. It would be sad and disappointing to wait several months after inauguration and still see a list of the same faces clustering around him before, during and after the elections, when the country is already at precipice.

Doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different result is seen in the medical line as an indication of mental instability. Whether this mental challenge is "hereditary" from government to government or party to party, Tinubu has to prove different to earn the trust and confidence of the people.

Tinubu must ensure that the election of the principal officers of the National Assembly is crisis-free. With various tendencies from other parties, a majority of whom are first timers, he must manage this phase so well that his hands must not be seen in the intrigues that would ultimately dot the process, even though he can’t be completely aloof from how that pans out. All eyes will be on him. Definitely!

It is no secret that Tinubu has always battled personal image crisis accentuated by a staggering corruption perception, although nothing has been established against him. Thus, while many of his ardent followers believe he has the "magic wand" to fix the economy and enhance the ongoing infrastructure renewal of the outgoing government, how he tackles corruption – Nigeria's age-long existential cancer, on the other hand, remains to be seen. Many people are waiting on this and he can't afford to fail.

Another critical challenge is security. Sadly, his co-pilot, Kashim Shettima, has yet to be exculpated from the Boko Haram blame. Yes, it is a perception, but it can't be wished away except through action and results. This is not going to be easy but also not negotiable. Security must be fixed as soon as the government takes off. It is the only thing that can guarantee change and improve the economy as well as other critical facets of the system.

When it eventually sets afoot, the success or failure of the Tinubu presidency would be examined against its disposition to the much-touted restructuring as the one way out of the nation’s quagmire. Clinging to this one idea, of course, are a legion others, including fiscal federalism, multi-level policing and resource control, among others.

While the debate about what restructuring actually means has always been tossed against its unceasing clamour, that Nigeria needs to activate a true federal system, is not arguable. This, perhaps, can help the Tinubu presidency situate the argument to help fix an ailing nation in obvious sectors.

Conversely, a man who seeks to unite the country for the peace and progress of his own administration cannot be seen as vindictive. There is no doubting the fact that the campaigns generally thrived on finger-pointing and subtle division along religious and ethnic lines, even within the party, where allegations of betrayal are now rife.

But with victory now in his grip, Tinubu has to rise above the prevalent pettiness and narrow-mindedness of the current mood, bring everyone together in a fatherly manner and push the agenda of "One Nigeria" with all seriousness, even if some still think one Nigeria is a fluke.

It is important to further note that in spite of the misgivings about Tinubu’s victory in some quarters, he honestly worked hard and seemed to have been miles ahead of his competitors as far as the election strategies were concerned.

Without a doubt, he might be a critical lesson in leadership at the end of the day. He was disparaged, reviled, punched in the face, and humiliated repeatedly, but he remained focused with his eyes on the ball. That's definitely something to learn from, and discuss exhaustively some other time.

On that note, congratulations to the President-elect of Nigeria, and may the people not regret their divided support for you at the end of the day. Amen

https://worldviewafrica.com/memo-to-the-president-elect/

Gucciblog:
And Osun 😝

Blissful45:
Our President, the one who is to come, the liberator, the emancipator, the engineer, the unifier, the rallying point, the pivot, the fulcrum, the bridge-builder, the Mobilizer, the humanitarian, an epitome of generosity, a pragmatic leader, a man of impeccable character, stainless, dirt-less. He is who he is , no pretense. God bless you Sir.
I see God touching the hearts of men to bless me. I'm incapacitated. I am without food to eat, I'm starving. I cry unto God to help me through you. Don't read this comment and pass without feeling the urge to help. Thanks

TonyRazor:
Obi Has Ever Remained Supportive To Us - Anambra Muslim Community

. . . Expresses Displeasure Over Lies, Propaganda Against Obi

The Muslim Community in Anambra State has eulogised the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, for what they described as his unwavering support to the Community from his days as the Governor of Anambra State till now. They described Obi as a true and detribalised Nigerian who does not segregate against tribe, religion or ethnicity.

Speaking at the Central Mosque, Onitsha, where Obi went to celebrate the Eid el Fitr with them yesterday, the Secretary of the Muslim Community in Anambra, Barr Mahmoud Imam registered their displeasure with what he described as unnecessary lies and propaganda against the person of Peter Obi. He said they were not happy with the religious and ethnic colouration being given to Obi and his quest for New Nigeria. He described Obi as a man who has continued to give them support through the many challenges they have been through, as a people, in the State.

"We follow the news, and we are not pleased with the many negative stories people tell about Obi's relationship with the North. We here are not only close to Obi, but we have remained the consistent beneficiaries of his benevolence. So we can say, authoritatively, that the stories making the rounds online, that Peter Obi does not care for Northerners, are false.

"When our mosque was burnt down, he quickly rebuilt it for us, and made it even better. During the crisis that erupted in the State in 2006, Obi ensured that no Hausa man was hurt. He gave us maximum security in the barracks. Throughout his 8 years as a Governor, he would invite us to the government house every year during Sallah celebration, eat and celebrate with us. This time around, he decided to visit and celebrate with us in the mosque.

"Many of our people here, not less than 150 were sponsored by Peter Obi to Mecca for pilgrimage, over the years. We equally watched his movements during the campaign, how he toured the Northern part of Nigeria and visited places no one expected. We are happy with our relationship with him and with the North. He is a true Nigerian," Imam said.

In his speech, Obi appreciated the Muslim Community for their welcome. He explained that his visit to the Community was to celebrate the Eid el Fitr with them as he has always done. He also promised to continue to support the muslims in the State and any part of the country, in any way he could.

Reiterating the need for Nigerians to love and appreciate one another, Obi stated that every Nigerian should be free to live and thrive in any part of the country without intimidation or harrassment.


"I am a Nigerian who believes in Nigeria. My ADC when I was Governor, Idris, is a Northerner from Kano State, and he is a good man. I have never discriminated against anyone based on religion or tribe, and I will never do that. I want the whole nation to hold me accountable on this. I will never discriminate against anybody. I will continue to support you especially in areas of education, health and your worship. Please disregard anyone who tells you that I do not like the Northerners. I love every Nigerian," Obi said.

Obi presented 30 cartons of noodles, 30 cartons of Malt, bags of rice and cash gift of N500,000 to the Muslim Community.

In his words of appreciation, the Chief Imam of Central Mosque, Onitsha, Alhaji Abdulrahman Hamza Imam, appreciated Obi for his benevolence and prayed Allah to continue to protect, bless and guide him always.

dele1727:
Please include Godfrey onyema

He is one of the most useless minister in Buhari cabinet ...

As the Minister for foreign Affairs....you no go see or Hear anything from him at the time of crisis...it always Abike this and Abike that...

Yet the idiot is the one controlling all the Nigerian embassy in the world...he can speak to the Minister for foreign affairs and ambassador of other nations....but at this time ...you no hear him name .. especially from his tribesmen

PandoraObi:
Who is datti Ahmed in leagues of politicians in Nigeria, even Atiku fear Tinubu

PandoraObi:
Where is the Datti Ahmed now, he has gone underground hiding after Lai Muhammad threatened him for treason, he knows he doesn't stand a chance, calling legal and lawful elected president not to be sworn in is height of stupidity, I am sure he might be begging the federal government privately.