₦airaland Forum

A political party, Action Alliance, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from including the name of the All Progressives Congress in the ballot of the 2023 presidential election.

The party also asked the court for an order restraining the commission from accepting the name of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate in the forthcoming general elections.

The plaintiff, in the Writ of Summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/954/2022, obtained by journalists on Tuesday, predicated its request on the claim that both the APC and its presidential candidate were not qualified to participate in the 2023 presidential election on alleged forgery committed by Tinubu in 1999.

The suit filed on behalf of the plaintiff by its lawyer, Upkai Ukairo, claimed that Tinubu forged the University of Chicago certificate he submitted in 1999 to aid his qualification for the 1999 governorship election in Lagos State, which was won by him.

The suit has INEC, APC and Tinubu as first, second and third defendants respectively.

In a 16-paragraph statement on oath deposed by one Kalu Agu, the plaintiff submitted that “the third defendant is a person who is not qualified for election to the office of President of Nigeria on the grounds of alleged forgery.”

According to the deponent, the third defendant had provided false information and attached forged documents in his form CF 001, he submitted to INEC in 1999 in aid of his qualification for the governorship poll.

The deponent stated that the claims of Tinubu that he possesses BSc degrees in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Chicago and Chicago State University in 1976 and 1979 respectively were false.

“The 3rd defendant knew he did not possess all the educational qualifications he listed in the said INEC form”, he added.

The plaintiff said in view of Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, the court should declare that the third defendant, “having in 1999 presented a forged certificate to INEC, is not qualified to contest for the office of President.”

No date has been set aside for the hearing of the suit.

Pro-Tinubu groups react

The Chairman of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, during a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday, said AA would be defeated in court.

“Well, they said they are in court, we will meet them in court and of course, they will be defeated in court because Tinubu will contest the election and win so that group better go and find better ways of campaigning,” he said.

Similarly, the National Coordinator of the Asiwaju Progressive Forum, Mr Adewale Adeogun, also in a telephone interview with The PUNCH said Tinubu has the right to defend himself in court.

“I know that they are being sponsored by those who are intimidated by Asiwaju’s candidature.”

“Since the AA has chosen to go to court, and I am sure court is meant for humans, and not animals, then Asiwaju will be able to defend himself in the court of law,” he said.

https://punchng.com/action-alliance-demands-tinubus-disqualification-apc-candidates-supporters-kick/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1656483887

An achievement? Congrats dude

Sorry a$$ league.

Sweet ...

Shoodboi:
Buhari had the platform in 2015 and was a considerable threat. Peter Obi in 2023? Not quite so. PDP currently has the platform and is considered the threat to APC's government and not him. And of course, Buhari was able to fool everyone into believing he was a saint. Many of his supporters will later turn against him in 2019 but it was too late.

Peter Obi doesn't have that kind of radical movement, even though his supporters want us to think he does. He doesn't have a history of engaging in divide and rule tactics, promoting ethnic and religious slurs, and overthrowing a legitimate government like Buhari. So people see Peter Obi more as a peaceful and gentle person that would never insult someone. This is the opposite of what his supporters are doing.

I guess. But those same supporters who were with him in the PDP and urged him to run were condescended upon, insulted, mocked and abused by the PDP that they were amateurs and didn't understands politics. He left the party, they left with him and still the same PDP are still condescending towards them for supporting their candidate loudly. It's only logical that they fought back, don't you think?

Shoodboi:
You guys will discredit Peter Obi with your toxic mode of campaigning. This was the same behaviour the Buharists exhibited in 2015 and 2019, and we all know how it turned out.

It turned out that Buhari won?

Nice. The revolution is at hand.

#VivaLaRevolution
#PowerToThePeople
#NigeriaBelongsToAllOfUs

By Minabere Ibelema

It’s been said by many that only a revolution can change — and thus save — Nigeria. In an interview on Arise News recently, Doyin Okupe declared with much confidence that the revolution is now underway and will be actualised in 2023.
When we think of revolutions, what usually comes to mind are military coups and mass uprisings that upturn the existing order. But what Okupe had in mind was a revolution through the ballot box. Okupe happens to be the spokesman for Peter Obi’s presidential campaign, and the revolution he has in mind is that of voters ousting the two parties that have alternated in Aso Rock since 1999.
In other words, Okupe is confident that Peter Obi will beat the All Progressives Congress’ Bola Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar in next year’s presidential election. That would be the electoral equivalent of David slaying two Goliaths.
It is expected, of course, that a campaign spokesman would talk up his candidate. But Okupe’s prediction is not mere braggadocio. There has been a strong yearning across the country for a New Nigeria, and now there’s the sense that Peter is the rock on which that new nation will be built.
When 2023 was in the distance, the overriding question was whether the PDP could unseat the APC in Aso Rock. But just before the primaries, Obi sensed that the usual manoeuvring was afoot in the PDP to install an old guard. He bolted to the Labour Party, and just like that, it rose from relative obscurity to a contender. And just like that, people realised that there is truly an alternative, that the established order can be upturned.
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (Bayelsa East, PDP) concurs with Otupe in predicting a revolution. “When the revolution comes, nobody is going to tell anybody. You will feel it in your bones,” Murray-Bruce said in a YouTube post. “And Nigerians can feel it in their bones. They can feel that something is not right. And you know what else they can feel? They can feel that they have the power to change something.”
It is not that Tinubu and Abubakar have suddenly become pushovers. They both have impressive political resumes and demonstrable leadership abilities. Ironically, those may also be their liabilities. What people who are thronging in Obi’s direction are asking is where all that has left Nigeria? The sense is that both candidates are seeking the presidency because they feel it is their turn. By contrast, Obi is running because he has a vision for the country.
Even the astronomical fees both the APC and PDP charged for the nomination forms raised red flags. The APC’s N100 million fee has been condemned as scandalous. And even the PDP’s N40 million fee could be purchased only by people who have their hands on the proverbial pot of gold. N40 million is about $68,400 in the informal sector. That is about 70 per cent higher than the fee of $40,000 charged by America’s major political parties. And that makes the Nigerian presidency limited to a much more exclusive few.
Moreover, it’s been widely expressed that anybody who pays N100 million for a job that pays N30,000,000 per year must have plans to recoup it somehow. And such has been adjudged to be the major drag on Nigeria’s development.
What recommends Obi is what Nigerians have been craving for years: a leader who will make Nigeria’s naira go the furthest. Every leader claims significant accomplishments, but few can demonstrate that they did the most with the revenue they received. Few can demonstrate that they cut waste mercilessly the way Alexander the Great slashed the hitherto untie-able Gordian knot.
Unlike corruption, some of the waste takes place in full view through the extravagance of governance. Few leaders have shown that they don’t need to be ostentatious to inspire. Few have demonstrated that they can govern frugally and demand the same of their subordinates. And hardly any has demonstrated how savings were applied to remarkably transform health, education, the payment of salaries and pensions, etcetera.
As Obi has stated in various fora over the years, he exemplified these leadership virtues and accomplishments as the governor of Anambra State from 2007 to 2014. He cites figures to back up his claims and challenges anyone who doubts them to check them out.
In social science and medical research, the most powerful forms of evidence and before-and-after measures or controlled comparisons. Those are the yardsticks that Obi judged himself. So far there has been no real refutation. In fact, his account of his stewardship has been corroborated by the likes of Murray-Bruce. So then, Obi’s supporters expect that he will do for Nigeria what he did for Anambra.
Some see his election as inexorable. But election day, Feb. 25, 2023, is still about eight months away. Much can happen between now and then. Obi is going against two political stalwarts who are determined to become president. They have considerable leverage in swaying the election in their direction, not the least of which are organisational structures and money.
But then, a populist political movement cannot be underestimated. As Murray-Bruce has pointed out, the structure is ultimately about the people. He cites the example of a northern Muslim man who has declared his home a campaign office for Obi. And there are YouTube and social media activism all over the country along the same line.
One Abuja-based senior pastor, who took pains to point out that he is not an Igbo, posted a YouTube video urging the youth to support Obi. “Any Nigerian youth that votes for Atiku or Tinubu is heartless,” he said. “We all know that these people don’t care about Nigeria…. Please, and please, let’s go for Peter Obi.”
And then there are youth influencers all over the country. Through social media and other outlets, they are making their voices heard and they are enthusing their fellow youths. Just the other day former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo urged delegates to primaries to vote their conscience, and not be swayed by money. They might not have heeded him, but the youth probably will during the general elections.
As to money, campaigns are expensive even without vote-buying. And Obi and the Labour Party are presumably at a disadvantage. But not necessarily. Sure, the Nigerian youth— the backbone of Obi’s predicted revolution— is not nearly as financially endowed as supporters of the APC and PDP. But that advantage can be offset by the passion and footwork of volunteers.
Moreover, Nigerians in the diaspora seem eager to step in. Diasporan remittance to Nigeria in 2021 rose to $19.2 billion, according to World Bank reports. Just a fraction of that will boost Obi’s campaign. Of course, diaspora Nigerians are not going to short-change their families back home. The remittance figure is just evidence of what can be done by supporters here.
The revolution may be here indeed!

https://punchng.com/2023-year-of-the-revolution/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1655645803

OK

The man is a gigantic fraud. And yes, hero-worship is a condition that affects all Nigerians regardless of region. It's even more surprising in Igbo land because traditionally Igbos are taught to be very independent; them and their Chi. But it seems modern politics has made feudalism the staple of the political elite

The Catholic Diocese of Enugu has condemned and dissociated the diocese from the inflammatory political utterances of the Director of Catholic Adoration Ministry Chaplaincy, Rev. Fr.
Ejike Mbaka against Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections.

The Diocese described the vituperation of Mbaka against Obi as unbecoming and divisive.

The statement titled ‘Disclaimer; Re: Inflammatory Political Utterances By Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka,” was signed by Very Rev. Fr. Wilfred Chidi Agubuchie, Chancellor/Secretary; Very Rev. Fr. Geoffrey Aguigwo, Vicar General; and Auxiliary Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Ernest Anezichukwu Obodo.

The Church warned Mbaka to refrain from making further provocative prophecies or utterances capable of heating up
the polity, while advising the Catholic faithful to pray for peace during these elections and discharge their civic responsibilities by getting their Permanent Voter’s Card and casting their votes in order to elect the right candidates.

The statement which was addressed to All the People of God and to the General Public, read, “The attention of the Diocesan Bishop, Most Rev. Callistus V.C. Onaga, and the Catholic Diocese of Enugu has been drawn to inflammatory political utterances by Rev. Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka, the Director of Catholic Adoration Ministry Chaplaincy Enugu, on Wednesday,
15 June 2022 during his Wednesday Adoration Programme.

“Fr. Mbaka during his preaching
attacked the good reputation of Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, describing him as “a stingy man” and as “a joker”, contrary to canon 220 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law which prohibits anyone from illegitimately harming the good name of a person.

“He also made fun of the Labour Party and vowed that Mr. Obi could not be the president of Nigeria.

“This is a clear violation of the provisions of canon 287 (2) which forbids priests from engaging in partisan politics.

“The Catholic Diocese of Enugu hereby condemns and dissociates herself from such unbecoming and divisive utterances from Fr. Mbaka.

“We notify the general public that Fr. Mbaka’s views on the matter are entirely personal to him and do not represent the position of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu.

“In an effort to keep him united to the Body of Christ, we enjoin him to refrain from making further provocative prophecies or utterances capable of heating up
the polity. We assure the people of God and the general public that the Catholic Diocese of Enugu is taking the due canonical process.

“Finally, we urge all the People of God to continue to pray for peaceful elections and to discharge their civic responsibilities by getting their Permanent Voter’s Card and casting their votes in order to elect the right candidates.

“May Our Lady, Queen of Nigeria, intercede for us.”

https://punchng.com/enugu-catholic-diocese-disowns-mbaka-says-political-utterances-divisive/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1655416377

Dozie32:
It's time we fish out Umahi, Orji Uzor and Rocas Okoroawusa and hand them over to herdsmen for butchering..

LMAOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Abeg add Ugwuanyi and Ekweremadu to the list

Iykopee:
11 times

Ómó, you sure say we dey 21st century at all?

If una like vote this party into power again

This campaign is not playing games at all.

Then he should stop walking in italics and vibrating like small generator

holluwizzy:
The right word is Brainwashed.

Nigerians have been brain washed and slave trade transaction still going on lowkey.

Then woe be upon their rulers

A good man for a good people.

Unfortunately the Nigerian people have proven themselves to be useless and undeserving of a good man/woman.

kenzysmith:
Peirsero would ve been allow to excute our wcq

Recency bias. But true sha, if we had known ...

After they released a statement after the PDP primaries they came out and denied it. Now after they released a statement after the APC primaries they've come out and denied it again.

Absolute imbeciles.

Naturalllp:
. Meant ng you were expecting her to say something like this ?

That's what shocked me until I saw it was Aisha Yesufu.

I think say na Aisha Buhari sef

Danniedpastor:
Must we vote PDP and APC?
We have Peter Obi on the ballot as the next option.
VOTE PETER OBI FOR A BETTER NIGERIA

fingers crossed ...

frenzzy2:
atikulate wisely

slowpoke

PaChukwudi44:
The idiot was suspended since 2017 and the Abure NWC presented the candidate that contested the 2019 elections

So what it's his own, why is he still hanging around? Even INEC recognises Abure's leadership, so what is it with these other desperados?

GIVE ME PAWAAAA!!!!

So this was his end game; to somehow get into the corridors of aso villa by any means necessary even if it meant screwing over other regions with a legitimate shout for the position.

Atiku/Wike '23 Lol which undecided voter do the PDP think this combination is going to inspire? I mean, what's going to be there motto, Atiku/Wike; tyranny?

Then you look at the other side of the spectrum, Tinubu. Sigh ...

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Nigeria is completely fxcked

Nato008:
Asinh.... The past eight years we lived the good life.,mtchew

We're soooooooooo fxcked ...

What's the chance the fulani elite still serve him breakfast? Cus there's no chance in hell they'd sit idly by and watch him turn aso rock to Lagos wherein he's appointing so-called loyalist successors.

The thought of this man ruling Nigeria for the next 8 years is legit frightening

Lol. Y'all deserve the hate, no hard feelings.

"They ruined our economy. They left abandoned projects. How many abandoned projects did they leave behind? We must keep the key of our treasury away from them. PDP must not be allowed to return back to power."

Because the past 7 years somehow does not exist?

Nigerian yoot are campaigning for this?

incredibly confused and bamboozled president/presidency. They know not their left from right. How are we sure this president will handover next year? Me I'm worried o

Tor ...