The All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed its response against a petition by Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), on the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
On Monday, the APC, through Thomas Ojo, a member of the party’s legal team, countered the petition filed by Obi.
On March 1, Tinubu, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner of the presidential election.
Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had 6,984,520, and Peter Obi of the LP polled 6,101,533.
However, the PDP and LP rejected the result. Both parties approached the tribunal with separate petitions to challenge Tinubu’s victory.
In his petition, Obi submitted that Tinubu “at the time of the (presidential) election was not qualified to contest the election” owing to the payment of “a fine of $460,000 for an offence involving dishonesty, namely narcotics trafficking imposed by the United States District Court” on him in 1993.
The petition also stated that Tinubu did not score the two-thirds of votes cast in the federal capital territory (FCT) during the presidential election.
Countering Obi’s petition, APC said the LP presidential candidate was not a valid member of the LP as at the time of the election.
The APC added that the former Anambra governor was a member of the PDP until May 24, 2022, and was screened as one of the party’s presidential hopefuls in April 2022.
“1st petitioner (referring to Peter Obi) participated and was cleared to contest the presidential election while being a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP):
“1st petitioner purportedly resigned his membership of Peoples Democratic Party on 24 May 2022 to purportedly join the 2nd Petitioner (Labour Party) on 27 May 2022.
“2nd petitioner conducted its presidential primary on 30th May 2022, which purportedly produced 1st petitioner as its candidate, which time contravened section 77(3) of the Electoral Act for him to contest the primary election as a member of the 2nd petitioner.
“The 1st petitioner was not a member of the 2nd Petitioner as at the time of his alleged sponsorship.
“Whereas, by the mandatory provisions of Section 77 (1) (2) and (3) of the Electoral Act 2022, a political party shall maintain a register and shall make such register available to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not later than 30 (thirty) days before the date fixed for the party primaries, congresses and convention.
“All the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were screened on 29th April, 2022, an exercise which the 1st petitioner herein participated and cleared to contest while being a member of the party.
“The 1st petitioner herein resigned his membership of the PDP on Thursday 26th May, 2022 and joined the Labour Party the following day being 27th May, 2022.
“The 2nd petitioner herein conducted its presidential primary on 30th May, 2022, which produced the 1st petitioner as the candidate it intended to sponsor in the general election.
“By section 77(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the 2nd petitioner is mandated to have submitted its comprehensive register of members to the 1st respondent (referring to INEC) 30 days before its presidential primary. That is to say the said register of members must have been submitted to the 1st Respondent on or before 30th April, 2022.
“The 1st petitioner as at 30th April, 2022 was still a member of the PDP and his name was not and could not have been in the register of members submitted by the 2nd petitioner to 1st respondent.”
The ruling party submitted that Obi’s petition was “improperly constituted by the non-joinder of Atiku and PDP who are necessary parties to be affected by the reliefs sought”.
The APC also argued that Obi “lacks the locus standi” to challenge the outcome of the election because LP “did not present a valid candidate for that election”.
The ruling party submitted that the tribunal does not have the powers to entertain “pre-election complaints embedded” in Obi’s petition.
The Labour Party, LP presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were among the trending searches in Google in the first quarter of 2023.
This was according to the report released by the search engine platform yesterday. The report says: “Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, captured the top spot, outpacing even Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect of Nigeria. Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, claimed the fifth position.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) emerged as the most searched entity between January and March, with Peter Obi and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) closely following. The CBN’s currency redesign prior to the elections undoubtedly contributed to its prominence.
“In the realm of music, homegrown talent took center stage as Nigerians avidly sought out the latest tunes. Spyro’s infectious hit, ‘Who is your guy?’ claimed the top spot, with Ruger’s ‘Asiwaju’ and ‘Carry me go’ by Boy Spyce and Khaid securing second and third places, respectively.”
It noted: “The nation’s collective curiosity was also evident in the top trending questions, which ranged from 'When is Easter 2023?’ and ‘When is WAEC 2023 starting?[/b]’ to ‘How to check my polling unit?’ and ‘Who is the President of Nigeria?’.
Unsurprisingly, the popularity of Spyro’s song sparked the question, ‘Who is your guy?’, further showcasing Nigeria’s deep-rooted love for the tune,” the report added.
Prophet Wale Ojo of the Harvest Centre Mission has said God would use the President-elect, Bola Tinubu to deliver Nigeria and Africa.
Ojo made the remark while noting that God sanctioned Tinubu’s emergence as President-elect.
Speaking in Lagos on Monday, the prophet said the world would marvel at Tinubu’s works upon assumption of office, NAN reports.
The clergyman said God is not bothered about the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He stressed that ethnic colouration and religion have no consideration when God decides to pick a leader to lead his people.
Ojo said Tinubu’s administration would liberate Nigeria and Africa from poverty like the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He said: “For those saying his emergence does not follow due process, God does not follow man’s processes, rather His ways like the birth of Jesus Christ has remained a mystery to man. The bottom line is did His words come to pass?
“In every contest, there must be a winner and a loser. The reactions to the outcome of the election is expected in the human society, but as believers we should look beyond the physical and listen to the voice of God.”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) have filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over the N5 million fine imposed on Channels Television.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, are joined in the suit.
Last week, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) fined Channels Television over an interview with Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), saying the broadcast violated some sections of its code.
Datti had alleged that Bola Tinubu did not meet the constitutional requirements to be sworn in as Nigeria’s president.
In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/616/2023 and filed last week before a federal high court in Lagos, the plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the NBC code used to impose the penalty and “threat of higher sanctions is not inconsistent and incompatible with access to information and media freedom”.
The petitioners, in the suit filed by their lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Andrew Nwankwo, and Blessing Ogwuche, also prayed the court to declare the fine “arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional”.
The organisations also sought “an order setting aside the N5m fine for being inconsistent and incompatible with section 22, 36 and 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.
The plaintiffs requested “an order directing and compelling the NBC to reverse its arbitrary and unlawful decision to impose a fine of N5m on Channels TV forthwith”.
SERAP and CJID said “the media has the task of distributing all varieties of information and opinion on matters of general interest and public interest”.
They argued that “under the Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party, freedom and diversity must be guiding principles in the regulation of broadcasting. The fine of N5m imposed on Channels TV is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with these principles”.
“Although article 19(3) recognises ‘national security’ as a legitimate aim, the Human Rights Committee has stressed ‘the need to ensure that the invocation of national security is not used unjustifiably or arbitrarily to restrict freedom of expression and media freedom,” they said.
“The use of NBC Act and Code in this case would inadmissibly open the door to arbitrariness and would fundamentally restrict the freedom of expression that is an integral part of the public order protected by the Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party.”
The litigants said the NBC Act and broadcasting code “cannot and should not be used in a manner that is inconsistent and incompatible with plurality of voices, diversity of voices, non-discrimination, just demands of a democratic society, and the public interest”.
“The fine is arbitrary and unlawful and would have a disproportionate and chilling effect on the work of other broadcast stations and journalists and Nigerians,” they said.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, says it will petition President Muhammadu Buhari over the alleged victimisation of Igbos in Lagos state.
According to NAN, the group made its intention known in a communique issued after a council meeting in Enugu on Wednesday.
The leaders of the group said they will send protest letters to the national assembly and other relevant agencies to express their sadness over the alleged attacks on Igbos in Lagos.
The group also said it will set up an emergency line for Igbos in Lagos to report any form of victimisation.
“Based on the foregoing, the Council of Elders directed Ohanaeze Ndigbo to set up an Emergency Telephone Line where Igbos in Lagos who are victimized because of their Igbo origin will report,” the communique reads.
The group said it will send a delegation to Lagos to meet with some leaders of the state with a view to establishing a lasting cordial and peaceful relationship between the Igbo and the Yoruba.
“Amongst other terms of reference, the report must indicate: the number of Igbos killed, number of Igbos injured and hospitalized, number of Igbos permanently incapacitated,” the communique said.
“The report shall include the comprehensive report of Igbo assets and property destroyed including the burning of markets.”
Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has asked the[b] Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi to leave Nigeria and never come back.[/b]
Fani-Kayode, the Director of New Media of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, said this in reaction to Obi’s outcry that he was under pressure to leave the country.
Obi, on Wednesday, accused the ruling APC and some government agencies of trying to divert the country’s attention from the infractions that marred the just concluded polls.
Speaking about the leaked audio that had his conversation with the Founder and Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo, the former Anambra state governor said, “These have come and continued to manifest in different ways, such as the malicious accusation of the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, the circulation of a fake doctored audio call, and a pressure on me to leave the country.”
Reacting via Twitter on Thursday, Fani-Kayode said, “Please do us all a big favour and go! Sooner the better and never come back!”
Pope Francis has praised the virtues of sex in a documentary released on Wednesday, describing it as “one of the beautiful things that God has given to the human person”.
The 86-year-old pontiff made the comment in The Pope Answers, a Disney+ production, which captures a meeting he had last year in Rome with 10 people aged in their early 20s.
Francis was quizzed by the young people on a variety of topics, including LGBT rights, abortion, the porn industry, sex, faith and sex abuse within the Catholic Church.
“To express yourself sexually is a richness. So, anything that detracts from real sexual expression lessens you and depletes this richness,” he said, referring to masturbation.
When asked whether he knew what a “non-binary person” was, Francis replied in the affirmative, saying that LGBT people must be welcomed by the Catholic Church.
“All persons are the children of God - all persons. God does not reject anybody. God is a father. And I have no right to expel anyone from the church,” he said.
On the subject of abortion, Francis said priests should be “merciful” towards women who have terminated a pregnancy, but he said the practice remains unacceptable.
“It is good to call things by their name. It is one thing to accompany the person who had one (abortion), quite another to justify the act,” he said.
The pope’s remarks were published by L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper, which described his conversation with the young people as an “open and sincere dialogue”.
Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has declared that he would not run for any elective position.
He said this on Saturday at Ochuche in Ogbaru Local Government, where his former Commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Dubem Obaze received a chieftaincy title from the coalition of all traditional rulers in Anambra North.
Speaking to journalist, he said:“I started telling people during my second tenure in office as governor that I will not aspire for any elective position in the country, but some people thought I was joking.
“Some have even been speculating that I will be contesting for Senate for Anambra Central in 2015 or for another elective position at the national level and I want to say here that I have no such ambition. However, I am prepared to make myself available for the service of my country in non- elective position.
“I believe that after serving as governor for eight years, I should allow other people go for political offices meant for the state. There is therefore no truth in the rumour that I want to contest for senate next year.”
Obi said he would remain in All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, no matter the nature of assignment he is carrying out for the nation, adding that he would continue to ensure that the party becomes stronger.
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill that seeks to prevent Nigerian-trained medical or dental practitioners from being granted full licences until they have worked for a minimum of five years in the country.
The bill, sponsored by Ganiyu Johnson, seeks to amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act.
It was debated and scaled second reading on Thursday.
Leading the debate on the bill, Johnson said to the House that it was only fair for medical practitioners, who enjoyed taxpayer subsidies on their training, to “give back to the society”.
The bill was opposed by Uzoma Abonta from Abia State, who argued that “such a bill will be like enslavement.”
Despite the argument by Abonta, the bill scaled second reading and referred to committee on health services.
A day-old baby girl has been abandoned close to a church by the roadside in the Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that after the baby girl was abandoned by the roadside, a yet-to-be-identified resident who was on her way to a store in the area heard her crying helplessly by the road around 6.30 am.
The resident, upon moving closer to the crying baby, observed that she was wearing long sleeve baby clothes, a cap and was wrapped in flannel.
Surprised by the discovery, the resident raised the alarm to attract other persons in the area to the incident but when no one claimed the baby, the resident, while suspecting that the baby’s mother abandoned her at the location at midnight, reported the case to the Ikorodu Police Division.
Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent, said the baby was receiving treatment at the Ikorodu General Hospital.
He said, “Around 7am today (Monday), a resident came to the station and reported that on her way to a nearby provision store to buy bread around 6.30am, she heard the cry of a baby.
“She checked and saw a newborn girl wrapped and kept beside the road, close to a church. She called the attention of neighbours but nobody claimed the baby, so she reported at the station.
“The baby, believed to be one day old, has been taken from the scene, and sent to the Ikorodu General Hospital, for treatment. The Family Support Unit of the Ikorodu Division is conducting a preliminary investigation into the case.”
Head of Ogboni Aborigines, Oba Adetoyese Olakisan was reportedly killed in an accident while trailing kidnappers of his wives.
It was gathered that some men invaded the cult leader’s house at Imesi-Ile, Obokun local government area of Osun state early hours of Monday and abducted his two wives.
Findings showed that the incident was reported to security operatives, who mobilised and started combing forests around the communities to block routes the kidnappers may want to use in escaping.
According to sources in the town, both conventional and non-conventional security operatives were involved in the operation and suggestions were made to block the Imesi-Ile-Edemosi- Ila area of the forest.
“Oba Olakisan with some other security personnel while travelling on Edemosi – Ila routs, the car, which he drove was involved in an accident.
“The accident, the source added, was very fatal, hence, the victims were rushed to a hospital for treatment.
“Although, no one wants to talk about it now, it is certain that Oba Olakisan eventually died, along with others due to the accident”, the source said.
Reacting, Osun police spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola also confirmed the death of the Ogboni leader in an accident.
According to her, the Ogboni leader, the Officer in Charge of Oke-Mesi was in a vehicle with another woman returning from the search of the kidnapped victims.
“About the incident related to Oba Ogboni Agbaye, the man and a policeman who is the OC of Imesi-Ile were in a vehicle with one other woman, while they were returning from a search of those that were kidnapped. They had a lone accident. The vehicle veered off the road and rammed into a tree.
[b]“They were all rushed to hospital but they all died. Meanwhile, the police are still inside the forest to rescue those that were kidnapped”, [/b]she said.
The Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia today granted the prayers of the Labour Party and Abia State governor-elect, Alex Otti, to jointly inspect the election materials with the Peoples Democratic Party.
The court further directed that the Independent National Electoral Commission should avail the Labour Party the Certified True Copy of all governorship nominations from the late Prof. Uche Ikonne to Okey Ahiwe.
This would include official correspondences between the PDP and INEC on the nomination of the party’s Abia deputy governorship candidate(s).
The tribunal had earlier granted the prayers of the PDP and its candidate for the inspection of the materials used in the governorship election.
The PDP and its candidate had approached the governorship tribunal to challenge the declaration of the LP candidate, Otti, as the winner of the governorship election, an action many analysts have described as bizarre going by the overwhelming victory of the LP candidate at the polls.
Otti, whose victory drew unprecedented celebration across the state, was declared and returned as the winner of the election, almost four days after the election was concluded due to a stalemate.
This follows claims of violence and intimidation against INEC staff and Labour Party collation agents.
In this Interview with EMMANUEL OJO, veteran journalist, Liadi Tella, shares the experience of his years of practice and other contemporary issues You celebrated your 75th birthday on March 3. How do you feel attaining that age despite the below-average life expectancy in this part of the world?
Well, I’m grateful to Almighty Allah that made it possible for me to reach this stage. I’m in good health and sound mind; I just concluded my third book and I’m writing the fourth one. So, for the fact that I am this agile, I need to show gratitude to Almighty God, and I’m very pleased that Allah has been very kind to me. I’m so healthy; I still stand and I still drive myself occasionally. I have a driver and I also exercise a little. I hope I can live a little bit longer.
On your birthday, you got commendations from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); and the president-elect, Bola Tinubu. How best can you describe the way you felt?
I feel highly honoured and I pray that the Almighty God will bless the outgoing President and the incoming president. I thank God that he made me a journalist. If he didn’t make me a journalist, how would I have got such recognition from the outgoing President and incoming president? So, I thank God.
How did you venture into journalism? Was it coincidental or intentional?
When I started my journalism career in 1978, I didn’t know I would go that far. I started with Daily Times and by 1982, I was News Editor of The PUNCH before I joined Concord, where I spent one and half years on the foreign desk. God has been very kind to me.
I started unconsciously practising journalism at the Baptist High School, Iwo. I started the club, which was called Adete Press Club. We had a large board where we pasted articles, where people went to read in the morning, afternoon and in the evening, commenting on events around us in Western Nigeria and in Nigeria as a whole, and to answer questions on what we learnt in the class. So, with it, I eventually came up with a magazine called Adete Periscope. Adete Periscope was a student magazine launched by the principal of my school.
My class teacher then, Mr Oladunni, wrote in his testimonial, ‘A potential journalist.’ I went to him and said I couldn’t be a journalist because journalists of that era usually weren’t dressing well and weren’t wearing good shoes. So, I couldn’t fathom it. I said it was not going to be possible but he said, ‘That is what I see in you; you are the founder of Adete Press Club and the founder of Periscope magazine; is that not journalism?’ That was an apt statement from a psychological-oriented teacher. So, when I went for my degree course at the University of Benin, where I read Political Science, believing that I would be an administrator for politicians, in the class Augustus Adebayo, former SGF of the old Western Region, taught us Public Administration and told us in the class that administrators must be seen and not heard, they must be on tar and not on top. I said what kind of thing was that. I said I didn’t want to become a civil servant.
Having practised journalism for about five decades, how will you describe the experience?
Well, let me say that everything surrounds destiny but you have to walk into your destiny. When I was doing the NYSC service with Daily Times, I began to write articles for Times International. I wrote analysis for them since I read Political Science. I wrote great analysis for Times International and commentaries for Sunday Times. Within three months, the management invited me and others to choose between working in the administrative Department and going for Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism at the expense of the company. So, I chose to go for Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism at the then Institute of Journalism, Iganmu. That was where I became a trained journalist. Three months before the end of the NYSC programme, I was employed by Daily Times as a senior reporter. All graduate reporters were senior reporters.
I cannot be grateful to God enough. Four years as a reporter and news editor of The PUNCH. Again, PUNCH was the most radical newspaper in the 80s; respected and feared. You dare not give a PUNCH reporter a ‘brown envelope’, you dare not. We were very hard.
When I was appointed a foreign editor at the Concord, within one and half years, I was sent back to the news room as the editor. I never thought I would have gone back to the newsroom because I was travelling all over the world and I was enjoying myself and writing good reports, which were based on my knowledge of political science. There were no conferences held that I was not invited. I was a member of the International Committee against Apartheid. At some point, I was in Russia, in India, in Spain and all over.
Being an editor in such an era when the military government was in force, how was the experience for you not to compromise on the truth and on matters of public interest?
As journalists then, we were very stubborn. We didn’t mind the military. We were always ready to go to detention. When going to the office, we had our tooth brush and other items with us. Should they (the military) come to arrest, we were ready to go. We balanced our reports and gave people the opportunity to recall their sides of the stories. If we call and the person declines, we call again and after the third time, if there is no response, we publish the story like that and report that all attempts to get through to the person proved abortive. You can’t sue me for treason.
At Concord, I had an encounter that had to do with the military. My reporter scooped a story about military posting. It was detailed. I called the public relations officer of the military and he did not respond. So, we used the story like that and slammed it on the cover. Many of them that were promoted and deployed had yet to get their letter of deployment. The military came for my reporter and arrested her because it was her by-line that was on the story. I told the editor that we had to rescue the reporter, and the training is that you must never disclose your source of information. So, I surrendered myself by going to Apapa, and I told the director that the reporter couldn’t have published a story on her own because I edited and published it and that if there was anyone that should have been arrested, it should have been me. So, I was put in detention and my reporter was released.
After two days of interrogation, they got nothing from me. The last person to interrogate me was my friend from school days, and he told me that I had not stopped my rascality and socialist movement. Then he released me, saying that I shouldn’t die in their detention. I didn’t really care because I felt that the act of the arrest itself would make me more popular in career as a journalist; so, I never minded.
Even in the days of (Major General Tunde) Idiagbon and those eras, things were very tough. In my column in The PUNCH in 1984, I wrote a six-serial titled, ‘The Kingdom of rat and rabbit’ and it was only The PUNCH that could publish such at that time. That was during the time of (Major General Muhammadu) Buhari and Idiagbon, telling them of how they treated Nigerians at the time. Luckily, I was not arrested.
In 1993, the election won by Chief MKO Abiola, who was your boss at the time in Concord, was annulled. What roles did you play at that time and did you have a personal relationship with him?
Apart from official duties as a journalist, I was Special Adviser to Abiola on Islamic Affairs and later turned Religious Affairs, because I was the one connecting the Catholic Church and other churches, seeking assistance and help for Abiola. I was the one that was sent to them with money. I was very close to him and I usually went to his house after the close of work. I would be there sometimes till midnight or past midnight before leaving. That story had been told in a book, one of my books, which will be out soon. So, I was very close to him and was his errand boy to so many people. I enjoyed it.
I saw the whole thing coming. In 1990, I wrote him a four-page letter that in making reparation for the Black race for over 200 years of slavery, the Americans would not look kindly at him. The European colonists who are owners of France and Britain would not look kindly at you to let them to pay reparation. If Germans under Hitler, who killed six million Jews, were meant to pay reparation from 1947 to 1990, why shouldn’t Africa be paid reparation for over 200 years of slavery and who were the beneficiaries of the slave trade? It was America and Europe. I knew they were going to conspire against him.
Secondly, he held a world conference on food sufficiency for the continent of Africa where he brought agric experts from all over the world in London and for two weeks, they were brainstorming on the Africa food plan. That was adopted by the OAU (Organisation of African Unity), now called AU (African Union) and later adopted by the United Nations. MKO Abiola used his personal and private resources to do these things. If he had become the president of Nigeria, you can imagine what he would have done. So, the West feared him, so, they conspired against him and killed him, using our local artists.
When the election was coming, it was the Yoruba people that dragged him into the presidential race; he (Abiola) never wanted to contest the presidency. At a time, he said he didn’t have money to go for or contest such an enterprise, that if he knew, he would have been saving for some 15 years earlier. The leaders of Yorubaland, about 16 of them, accompanied by Baba Gbadamosi came to visit MKO and in a single night, they raised N600m as donation.
What was your experience of the Abacha junta that shut down media houses?
I was not under any particular threat at that time because I was the deputy editor of the National Concord and the daily production of the paper took me away from the centrality of the actualisation of the June 12 struggle. I was only providing backup, networking, soliciting to media and protecting Kudirat (Abiola), who was upholding the mandate of her husband.
The day she was killed, we struggled to prevent her from going out because we had information that mad killers were after her but she was to meet the French ambassador. Sadly, I wrote the story of her assassination myself, where I laid out the story the way it happened.
You also ventured into politics at some point and contested the House of Representatives seat for the Iwo Federal Constituency but lost. What prompted you to venture into politics?
Well, as a journalist, I was connected to the movers and shakers of Nigeria, and whenever they were taking critical decisions, I also wanted something for my town, Iwo. But each time I wanted to intercept, they told me to also go into politics. So, I ventured into politics so that I could also attract federal projects to my constituency. It wasn’t really that I lost, but the Action Congress of Nigeria then rigged me out through my agent at the collation centre.
The BVAS was used in accreditation but could not transmit results in real time during the presidential and National Assembly elections as promised and that was used as a yardstick by many, including international observers, to say that the polls were not credible enough. What is your response to this?
I disagree with that because they (international observers) are agents of imperialism and they marked Nigerians down and wanted us to move towards their own kind of democracy and not our own kind of democracy. Hillary Clinton had an election in America, beat her opponent by almost two million votes and she was not declared president. Is that democracy?
What do you actually mean by ‘our kind of democracy’ and how does that differentiate from that practised in the United States?
Hillary Clinton, despite winning, was not declared winner. The white supremacies of America are the manipulators of the American election. They must be told the truth; they should leave Nigeria alone. America should leave Nigeria alone. They are the ones that killed Abiola. They had several plots, about six plots to stop Tinubu (Jagaban) from becoming the president of Nigeria. They did everything possible but God disgraced them.
Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, didn’t garner his votes from the South-East alone. Some Yoruba and youths voted for him. How will you react to this?
Let them come out with the facts and figures. Facts are sacred. Well, Obi gave a good account of himself. The role of the church is that they are far more responsible for the election than the role of the youth. The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Catholic and other churches went to the grassroots to make sure that Obi was treated as the preferred candidate. Religion was taken to the highest point than any other election in the history of Nigeria.
During the Nigerian Civil War when the Igbo crossed Benin to Akure, we, the Yoruba donated two trailers loaded with food items and animals to the Biafran Army in Western Nigeria. If we hated the Igbo, we wouldn’t have done that. The impression given to the young Igbo is that Yoruba are traitors, but we will treat that on another day. We were never traitors to the Igbo. The subject matter is that those who want to destroy Nigeria are at work and they are making sure that Nigeria does not industrialise and work to become the world power. I am saying it loud and clear, please quote me. If they like, they can come for me. I will die at the time appointed for me. This blackmail of election is a plot to destroy Nigeria and we must not play into their hands.
Are there changes that journalism has undergone over the years based on the kind of journalism you practised then and that which is being practised now?
It is a very grave disaster. This era we find ourselves is the era of ‘fend for yourself’ journalism. Many media houses are not paying salaries. They also don’t give letter of employment, don’t give condition of service or review salaries for 10 years and the Nigerian journalists will be fighting for the Nigeria Labour Congress, for government to review the salaries of workers.
Islamic clerics have said that election riggers and internet fraudsters popularly called Yahoo boys (Internet fraudsters) are fasting in vain except they retrace their steps .
The Chief Imam of the University of Abuja, Prof. Taofik Azeez, and the Missioner, Islamic Youth League, Abeokuta,Ustadh Jubril Awwal, said this on Wednesday while speaking with our correspondent in Abeokuta.
The Abuja Chief Imam, who is also the Chief Missioner, Dawah Front of Nigeira, said Yahoo Boys are wasting their time by fasting except they repent.
The cleric said even if Yahoo boys use the proceds to construct a mosque, it would not be accepted.
He said, “It is a sin. They steal people’s money through diabolical means. Even, if they spend their money to build mosques, Allah is not going to accept it, because Allah is pure and is not accepting anything except what is pure.
“Yahoo boys, kidnappers are fasting in vain. They must repent and they must not return to their business after Ramadan.”
The IYL Missioner, in his remarks, said election riggers and Yahoo boys that are fasting are fasting in vain.
He said, “The month of Ramadan is to get the fear of Allah. The essence of Ramadan is to fear Allah.
“If someone has been involved in immoral acts, there is no way his fast can be accepted except he repents.”
Also speaking, the Imam of Liberty Mosque in Abeokuta, Ustadh Rasheed Adeyanju, warned election riggers and Yahoo boys against wasting their time by fasting.
He said,“These people, Yahoo boys and election riggers are bad people and are not friends of Allah.
“They have made people suffer with their actions. Their fasting is a waste of time except they stop the act and repent.”
For those who are speculating that Nigeria’s President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is seriously sick and has gone abroad for treatment are joking.
The facts remain that Tinubu is hail and hearty and is having fun in France where he had gone to rest after rigorous campaign and to engage with investors.
The president-elect was caught in a video on Saturday having the Iftar Kareem with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos; Wale Edun, Nuhu Ribadu, among others.
The video was uploaded on the Twitter handle of President-elect.
An unwrinkled face is not good for a resounding slap. So it is somewhat indelicate for a lawyer who ought to be grounded in the ethics of the law profession to publicly criticize the opinions of other senior lawyers, who are revered to be authorities in their fields.
Afe Babalola, Gboyega Awomolo, Wole Olanipekun, J. B. Daudu, Lateef Fagbemi, Kanu Agabi, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, J. K. Gadzama, E. C. Ukala, Yunus Ustaz Usman, Adeniyi Akintola, Emeka Ngige, Chris Uche, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, Mike Ozekhome, Dele Adesina, J. S. Okutepa, Mahmud Magaji, Dayo Akinlaja, Ahmed Raji, Femi Falana, A. Mustapha, Ebun-Adegboruwa, and many hosts legends of the inner bar are jurists who have become oracles of constitutional law and whose opinions carry weight and speak volumes. For some of these oracles of law, their names have refused to leave the pages of our law reports.
And when they lend their respected voices to public issues, their words are taken as gospel by laymen who lack the qualification and the intellectual rigour to interrogate their opinions. So, to laymen, the opinions of these senior lawyers are Yeah and Amen!
However, this electioneering season has been an eye opening one for some of us. It has been a season of unraveling and miracles as to how some legal professionals have, either by deliberate action or absence of proper research, interpret one of the simplest provisions in our Constitution as regards election to the office of the President and requirements of the candidate for that highest public office in the land.
We have seen those that should know and those who have held exalted and enviable positions hold curious opinions on Constitutional issues that embarrass our industry and harass ones intellect.
For some of them, politics have been mixed with law in order to please certain quarters of the political class. But this is a dangerous mix. There is politics, and there is law. While they can sometimes intersect, they should not be muddled up when discussing pertinent legal issues that affect the nationhood of the country and the collective development of her citizens.
A number of emergency analysts of the law we have never heard of, or are known for being passive about crucial National issues suddenly appeared to become public figure in interpreting the laws in our Constitution as if they are a collection of formal and informal texts in an English textbook compiled for letter writing.
It is quiet even disturbing when some of my professional colleagues across border were analysing those colloquial interpretations here on one occasion of our group interactions. I must confess that I felt uncomfortable with many of their comments.
As I write this, I find myself grappling with the question: when is politics taken too far? This question has far reaching ramifications, because a honest answer to it will reveal that some senior lawyers give certain legal opinions they do not even believe in just because they have been tainted by politics. It is the common man on the streets that suffers this dangerous game of deliberate obfuscation and misinterpretation of our laws.
Lawyers cannot frown at the attitude of people flouting court orders and still be the ones selling the law of the land for a token on the altar of political standing. Deliberately misinterpretation of the law by a lawyer is a mockery of our Constitution and the legal profession and such character has a way of turning to hunt its maker.
It is therefore incumbent upon some of us who understand that the primary role of lawyers as ministers in the temple of justice is first and foremost the attainment of justice. And justice cannot be attained without truth.
Consequently, amidst the brouhaha surrounding the interpretation of section 134(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the multifarious explanations given by public commentators and senior lawyers alike, it is important to set the record straight and state the true position of the law, devoid of emotion and political chicanery.
The provisions of Section 134(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), particularly sub-paragraph (b) thereof have generated so much fuss and controversy in the past few days, especially after the conclusion and announcement of the winner of the recently concluded presidential elections.
Basically, there are two opposing sides in the arguments the above section has spawned: those who argue that for a candidate to be declared winner, he must get 25% of the votes cast in FCT (asides meeting other Constitutional criteria) and those who contend that a candidate need not poll 25% of the votes cast in FCT to be declared winner, so far as he meets other Constitutional requirements.
For the sake of clarity, Section 134(2) provides that:
(2) A candidate for an election to the office of the President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election –
(a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and
(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Even though the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (FCT) is not a State properly so called, the Constitution has clothed it with the toga of a State. In other words, the FCT is treated like a State, and all the powers of a Governor in a State is vested in the Minister of the FCT. While the Houses of Assembly of the 36 States of the Federation legislate for each State respectively, the National Assembly makes laws for the FCT. Furthermore, while the States have their respective Local Government Areas, the FCT has Area Councils.
Pursuant to the above, Section 299 of the Constitution expressly provides that the provisions of the Constitution shall apply to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as if it were one of the States of the Federation. [/b]Section 299 of the Constitution has received the judicial imprimatur of the full panel of the Supreme Court in FAWEHINMI & ORS v. BABANGIDA & ORS (2003) LPELR-1255 (SC).
Hence, each time the draftsman intends to refer to the 36 States and FCT in the Constitution, it says [b]“all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (FCT)”, bearing in mind that the FCT has also been clothed with the toga of a State.
Having made the above clarification, the “and” as used by the draftsman between “all the States of the Federation” and “the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja” in sub-paragraph (b) of Section 134(2) of the Constitution cannot be interpreted to mean that what applies to other States is inapplicable to FCT. Rather, it means that the FCT is on the same pedestal as the States of the Federation, even though it’s not a State properly so called.
So, the intention of the draftsman as regards Section 134(2)(b) of the Constitution is that, the candidate, in addition to having the highest number of votes cast at the election, must also poll not less than one quarter (25%) of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation (36 States) and the FCT (a State kind of), thereby making it 25% of votes cast in at least 2/3 of 37 States. 2/3 of 37 is 24.6.
Drawing from the reasoning of the erudite jurist, Otutu Andrews Obaseki, JSC (of blessed memory), in the landmark decision of the full panel of the Supreme Court in AWOLOWO v. SHAGARI & ORS (1979) LPELR-653(SC), there’s nothing like 24.6 States, for a State is a geographical setting incapable of being divided.
Borrowing a leaf from the revered jurist, the construction that two-thirds of 37 States in the Federation (FCT inclusive) is 24.6 States may be correct in the abstract but in relation to the Constitution, it is impracticable. Where there are two possible meanings conveyed by the words of a statute or the Constitution, it is the most reasonable one that should be adopted. Where the other meaning leads to absurdity or evinces internal contradiction, that meaning should be dropped for the first as the legislature never intends to be absurd or contradictory.
The word ‘each’ in the sub-section (2)(b) of Section 134 qualifies a whole State and not a fraction of a State and to interpret it otherwise is to overlook the disharmony between the word “each” and the fraction “two thirds”. Two-thirds of thirty-seven (37), to avoid any disharmony, gives 25.
As a way of covering the base, the second school of thought contend that for a candidate to be declared winner, he must score 25% in the FCT (asides meeting other Constitutional requirements). If one agrees with this view, then it logically follows that if a candidate wins the entire 36 states of the Federation and polls the majority number of votes cast, if he fails to get 25% in FCT, then he cannot be declared winner. This cannot be the intendment of the draftsman, as the FCT cannot hold the entire nation to ransom.
So, once a candidate severally polls at least 25% of votes cast in at least 25 states, whether inclusive of FCT or not, he’s won the election so long he also has the majority of the votes cast all over the Federation.
The issue under reference has been before the Supreme Court, in 2003 in the case of Buhari Vs Obasanjo (2003) All NLR 168, the apex court in the land prophesied and held that if there’s any issue on the provision of Section 134(2), they’ll toe the part that accords with common sense. They further undertook that the court is bound to adopt a construction which is just, reasonable and sensible.
A calm perusal of the statement of the justices of the Supreme Court above reveals that they believe there is no ambiguity whatsoever in the provisions of section 134(2).
And like they opined, assuming without conceding that there is ambiguity, the Court is bound to adopt a construction which is just, reasonable and sensible.
For the sake of emphasis, the operative words are “just, reasonable and sensible.”
This then begets the question: is it just, reasonable and sensible to argue that a candidate who, for instance, won 36 States of the Federation and also polled the highest number of votes cast at an election but failed to score 25% of the votes cast in FCT, Abuja cannot be deemed the winner of the election? I think not. That would not be just, reasonable and sensible.
In Bakari v. Ogundipe (2021) 5 NWLR (Pt.1768) 1, the supreme Court held that by virtue of section 299(a) (b) of the Constitution, the provisions of the Constitution shall apply to the FCT, Abuja as if it were one of the States of the Federation.
If that is the case, why then would the FCT, Abuja be placed on so high a pedestal, like some lawyers have done, that it now supersedes other States of the Federation?
Buttressing further, If the provisions of the Constitution are to apply to FCT, Abuja as if it were one of the States of the Federation, then surely it cannot be ranked above other States of the Federation.
To steelman our arguments above, in Baba-Panya v. President, FRN (2018) 15 NWLR (Pt. 1643) 423, the Court held that the FCT, Abuja is to be treated like a State and it is not superior or inferior to any state in the Federation.
As a corollary, it would then be unjust, unreasonable and insensible [/b]to argue that scoring 25% of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja is a mandatory Constitutional requirement, when no other State or even the entire States of the Federation enjoy this preferential treatment.
A reasonable, just and sensible interpretation of section 134(2) would then be that scoring 25% of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja is like scoring 25% in any other State of the Federation.
[b]That is just, reasonable and sensible.
OLUKAYODE AJULO, PhD, FCIArb. UK, is a Nigerian constitutional lawyer
It is still unbelievable that a 73-year-old grandmother would set the entire family members of her son ablaze on the excuse of being starved of food by the daughter-in-law.
This horrific incident happened in Apomu Community, in Akure, the Ondo State capital, and has thrown the community into mourning. The grandmother, who resides with her son in the same house, decided to terminate the lives of the entire family members, simply because they failed to give her food when due.
She reportedly sprinkled petrol on the victims’ room and ignited a fire with a matchstick, while her son, Victor Oloro; his wife, Rachael, and their children, Toluwani and Blessing, were all in the house and deeply asleep in the wee hours of the fateful day.
The ensuing inferno did so much damage to the family members that the doctors at the Federal Medical Center, in Owo, could not salvage the situation when their neighbours rescued and rushed them to the facility.
The grandchildren are still hospitalised at the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Killer grandma dies
Reports from the family members indicated that the grandma died a few days after she was rushed to the hospital.
She reportedly died at the Federal Medical Center, in Owo, where she was equally admitted for treatment, having sustained some degrees of burns during the inferno.
How she perpetrated the devilish act
An eyewitness, who narrated the sad incident, Korede Michael, said: “We saw the house on fire around 2:00 am and had to break the window to rescue everyone in the house.
“The woman, her son, Victor Oloro; wife, Rachael and children, Toluwani and Blessing, were all in the house when the woman set it on fire.
“She got some dry palm fronds and the little petrol her son kept in a gallon (for generator), pour it around the house and then put fire to it.”
Grandma attempted suicide last year in protest
Neighbours alleged that the grandmother had attempted to commit suicide last year after her complaints were not listened to by the son.
A neighbour, who narrated the incident, said: “In 2022, the grandmother had attempted suicide by jumping into a well, but was quickly rescued by neighbours who were around in the house.
“After the attempted suicide, the family members held a meeting and decided to relocate the old woman back to her village, but she refused to insist that the house his son and his family members were living in was built by her late husband.
“That was the main reason she couldn’t be sent packing after she began to behave strangely in the house.
“Other family members pleaded with the son to keep tolerating her until she decided to terminate the lives of the entire family members of the son.”
My target was my daughter-in-law
Grandma Iforiti, during interrogation by police detectives, regretted her action and confessed that her target was her daughter-in-law, who deliberately starved her of food.
Police sources told Vanguard that the suspect, who regretted her action, claimed that she wanted to kill her daughter-in-law, Rachael, not her son, Victor Oloro and grandchildren.
She claimed that she had an axe to grind with the daughter-in-law, who deliberately starved her of food in the house, despite the provisions made by her son. Why she starved me of food
The deceased grandma told police detectives that her daughter-in-law maltreated her and punished her by starving her of food when due to the feelings that she would pack out of the house in annoyance.
Police sources, who spoke with Vanguard, said: “She decided to punish me by starving me of food. She believed that after starving me for some time, I will leave the house for her. But she has forgotten that the house her family members are living in was built by my late husband and me.
“Nobody can eject me from the house my late husband built with his sweat. It’s just not possible. She wanted her husband and their family to take over the house after I might have left in annoyance.”
I overreacted
She said that she overreacted to the ill-treatment she received from her daughter-in-law.
“She expressed regret that her son also died in the inferno and that if she knew this would happen; she would have found a way to ensure that her son did not sleep in the same room with the wife that day.
“She regretted not separating the son and her grandchildren before setting the house on fire.”
The police source told Vanguard that the grandma did not regret killing her daughter-in-law.
She said that the daughter-in-law was her target, not other family members.
“It is a sad story; the grandmother that set the family of her son ablaze has joined her son and wife that died in the inferno.
“More saddening is that they left the grandchildren with nobody to cater for them. Their parents are dead, and now the grandmother, who ought to take care of them after the death of their parents, has equally died.
“The grandma, out of annoyance, has thrown the entire family into mourning. It’s a sad ending.
“I am sure the grandma couldn’t stand the pains she had caused the family and her death has put paid to her devilish act. Because I don’t know how she would’ve coped after her ungodly act.
“Her death has covered her shame because she wouldn’t have been able to live for long if she was still alive after what she did. The shame would have eventually killed her.”
2 grandchildren survived—Police
Speaking on the ugly incident, the spokesperson of the Ondo Police Command, Funmi Odunlami, said that the two grandchildren, Toluwani and Blessing, survived the inferno.
Odunlami said: “Only the couple died in the inferno. The two grandchildren were injured but they are alive and responding to treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Owo.”
Grandma’s son promises to take custody of the kids
A family source confided in Vanguard that another son of the late grandma has volunteered to take custody of the two children after they might have been discharged from the hospital.
Mr Oyakhilome Bello, APC United States National Youth Leader, says the call by some individuals to protest the emergence of Sen. Bola Tinubu as President-elect on April 3 in the U.S has no merit.
Bello, who is also the Deputy Director North America Youth Wing Campaign Council, said this in a statement on Friday.
He described as baseless, the protest against Tinubu’s emergence by some opposition groups at a park in front of the White House on Thursday, saying such protest would produce no result.
He said the protest had no weight because the Feb. 25, presidential election that produced Tinubu as the president-elect was free, fair and credible, adding that the former two-term Lagos State governor won the election squarely.
He advised Nigerians not to be worried about the development but to remain calm and peaceful as the APC would mobilise genuine Nigerians to counter the protest and work to protect Tinubu’s mandate.
Bello said the chapter would work to ensure that those protesting against Tinubu’s emergence as president-elect would not succeed in their mission to disrupt Nigeria’s peace and stability.
He called on all patriotic Nigerians to join hands to work for the country’s unity and peace, and to support Tinubu and Vice-president elect, Sen. Kashim Shettima to enthrone a better Nigeria for all.
He added that there was no mandate stolen as being alleged by opposition parties, because the Nigerian electorate freely gave their mandate to Tinubu at the poll.
“The election is therefore, a true reflection of the voice of the majority, even though there were some identified flaws during the election that can always be improved on.
“The United States is a defender of democracy around the globe, there is no perfect election anywhere in the world and the flaws identified in the just concluded Nigeria’s election can only be improved on.
“The majority of Nigerian voters gave Tinubu their mandate, and no manipulation, propaganda or tissue of lies can stop his inauguration on May 29,” Bello said.
He described as unpatriotic, those calling for the establishment of an Interim National Government as being proposed by some individuals.
He said such individuals do not have Nigeria’s interest at heart, adding that Tinubu would be sworn in on May 29 by God’s grace as the country’s 16th president
The Chairman and Convener of Progressives’ Solidarity for Asiwaju, Chief Ibrahim Emokpaire, on Friday assured that Nigeria would be out of the woods under the administration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Emokpaire gave the assurance in a statement in Abuja while congratulating Tinubu on his 71st birthday.
He said Tinubu had garnered enough experience to rescue the country from its current socio-economic challenges.
He said, "He has the wherewithal to take our country out of the woods because he has done that in the past as governor of Lagos state.
“He will assemble the best brains in different sectors and fields to work with, and our country will regain its old lost glory and take its place in the comity of nations.”
Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi has inaugurated the 16-member Governing Board of Police Academy (POLAC) after President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval.
The appointees, comprising stakeholders from the security agency and the academia, were inaugurated at the Ministry of Police Affairs, Headquarters in Abuja.
Dingyadi reaffirms the President’s commitment to bequeath a reformed, professionalized and motivated Force with a view to institutionalizing proactive policing.
The minister said POLAC encourages the advancement of learning and to avail officers the opportunity to acquire higher and liberal education without discrimination of sex, political, religious, or ethnic affiliation.
The institution took off in 1988 at two temporary campuses; Police Training School Challawa in Kano, where cadet Inspectors were trained; and Police College in Kaduna, where cadet ASPs were trained.
“The campuses were merged and relocated to the permanent site in Wudil, Kano, after the commissioning on the 2nd April 1996.
“The institution was upgraded to a degree-awarding institution in September 2012,” Dingyadi added.
Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba Alkali pledged the commitment of the council, adding that the academy continues to produce fine police officers in various fields of study.
The new board is expected to fully operationalize the provisions of the Police Academy (Establishment) Act 2021 signed into law by the President on April 7, 2022.
Also known as Nigeria Police Academy Council, the board supervises the policies, finances and property of the academy; approves courses and programmes; promotes and disciplines staff, among others.
As the drug crisis in America rages on as opioids and fentanyl pour across our unsecured border from the Mexican drug cartels supplied by Chinese “pharmaceuticals,” an unsuspecting trafficker has emerged.
San Jose Police Officers Association police union executive Joanne Marian Segovia was arrested on Wednesday for attempting to import a synthetic opioid called Valeryl fentanyl. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Police union president Sean Pritchard told the New York Post that Segovia was like “the grandma of the POA…this is not the person we’ve known, the person who has worked with fallen officers’ families, organized fundraisers for officers’ kids…”
Ice Water Trick Melts lbs of Wobbly Flab Do This 5-second Ice Trick Every Morning & Watch All Stubborn Belly Fat Melt off Segovia was allegedly importing packages of drugs from China, Canada, India and other countries and disguising them as common items such as makeup, chocolates, and food supplements. She has received at least 61 packages at her home from 2015 through 2023.
The complaint alleges that Segovia even used the POA’s UPS account to make one shipment to someone in North Carolina and continued to import drugs even after being questioned by federal agents in last month.
Joanne Marian Segovia, who has worked for the San Jose Police Officers Association since 2003, was charged on Wednesday with attempting to unlawfully import a synthetic opioid called Valeryl fentanyl.
She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted, authorities said.
Police union president Sean Pritchard was shocked by the charges, telling NBC Bay Area, “She’s been the grandma of the POA.”
According to the 13-page complaint, the 64-year-old allegedly received at least 61 packages at her San Jose home from various countries — including China, Canada and India — between October 2015 and January 2023.
On Wednesday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged that fentanyl is the “single greatest challenge we face as a country” to a Senate panel. Based on the Mockingbird Media though, and the “insurrection” that took place yesterday in Tennessee’s Capitol, you’d assume it was gun violence, specifically those killed by “assault weapons”.
But the data tells a different story: according to gunviolencearchive.org, 2022 saw 20,200 deaths from gun violence. For the purpose of their data, they separate gun violence from suicides, which are consistently higher than deaths from malice or by accident.
Fentanyl deaths alone are responsible for over three times the number of deaths of people maliciously using firearms. And yet, rather than secure our borders with a $5B border wall to stymie the drugs (and human trafficking) from pouring over, we sent $110B to Ukraine and insist on banning assault weapons…again.
A 49-year-old Lagos man, Timothy Chukwudi, has been arraigned in court for falsely describing one Chika Eze and Sunday Akpoyibo as ritualists on WhatsApp platforms.
Chukwudi was docked before an Ejigbo Magistrates’ Court, Lagos State, for publishing false information against the two men on different WhatsApp platforms.
He was arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on publishing false information.
The prosecutor, ASP Benedict Aigbokhan, told the court that the defendant committed the offences sometime in February 2022 and March 2023, at Ijegun, Lagos State.
According to the prosecutor, the defendant published obscene articles on WhatsApp platforms about the complainants, Chika Eze and Sunday Akpoyibo.
“The defendant published on WhatsApp platforms that the complainants were ritualists.
“When confronted, he threatened to deal with them in other to intimidate and put fear in the complainants,” Aigbokhan said.
He said that the offences contravened Sections 39, 56 and 150 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
But Chikwudi pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him by the police.
The Magistrate, Miss K. A. Ariyo, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Ariyo ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed and that one of them must be a blood relation of the defendant.
She adjourned the case until April 14 for mention.
The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke has assured the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola to feel free within the state, saying nobody can chase him away.
“Mr. Minister, I am assuring you, that this is your state, nobody can chase you away,” Adeleke told Aregbesola on Tuesday when he joined the minister and former governor to launch the Nigeria Immigration Service Passport Front Office and Passport Production Centre in the Ilesa area of Osun State.
“This is your state, you are welcome at anytime. Even, you can come around to the Government House. When I complete all of the structures I am currently working on at the Government House, I will personally invite you to commission it.”
Adeleke also lauded Aregbesola for being a worthy ambassador of the state, reassuring him of the state’s support in all ramifications.
Adeleke, who affirmed his resolve as a progressive, promised to complete all projects of the former governor allegedly abandoned by the immediate past administration of Gboyega Oyetola.
“No matter the party you are, if you are a progressive, you are a progressive if you are doing what the people want. When he was Governor, he loved the people and the people loved him. All the projects Ogbeni left, it was abandoned for years. I promised the people during my campaign that I was going to continue the projects, that is what I am doing.
“As a civilised person, no matter the party you are, you will always love progress. That is what I will always continue to ensure that all developmental projects are continued. As a federal minister from the state, we are proud of your achievements and we will continue to be proud of you.”
Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was Osun State governor between November 2010 and November 2018 when he handed over to a fellow partyman, Oyetola.
However, Aregbesola and Oyetola fell apart and the minister had backed another candidate, Moshood Adeoti but Oyetola floored the minister’s candidate at the party governorship primary early 2022. Oyetola would late lose the July 16 governorship election to Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose victory has been affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
Governor Nyesom Wike in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says he won’t leave office on May 29, 2023 to “run away” from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s strongman said he has nothing to fear if the anti-graft agency comes to probe his administration.
Wike, whose eight-year two-term will end on May 29, 2023, directed his successor and Rivers State Governor-Elect, Siminlalayi Fubara to show EFCC his many accomplished projects in Rivers if the anti-corruption commission comes for investigation.
He spoke on Wednesday at the commissioning of Rumuigbo Internal Road Network in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in the oil-rich South-South state.
The governor said, “I am happy I am leaving office fulfilled. I’m leaving office with my shoulders high. I am leaving office very well. I’m not leaving office to run away so that EFCC would not come; I’m leaving office and I will stay here; I am not going anywhere. When the EFCC come, go and show them the projects.”
Wike also expressed gratitude to God, saying he asked for during the 2023 general elections were realised. The governor said he desired a Southern President and a successor and he got both.
EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had reportedly said the commission would go after “corrupt” governors at the expiration of their constitutional immunity on May 29, 2023. The anti-graft commission had in the past probed and convicted some former governors and is currently investigating some ex-governors over allegations of misappropriation of funds.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a legal practitioner, Umar Hussaini, to seven years imprisonment with an option of fine.
Hussaini was a private lawyer to the late Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko, who died in February 2021 while facing prosecution.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) charged Dikko, Hussaini, and Garba Makarfi, ex-Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs.
On Wednesday, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu found Hussaini guilty of the two-count charge preferred against him in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/74/2020.
The convict, who has four wives with children and aging parents, begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
His lawyer, Naziru Umar prayed that the sentencing of the owner of Capital Law be with an option of fine.
ICPC lawyer, Olubunmi Ikupolati, however, urged the court to convict Hussaini with restitution of the funds stolen.
But Umar opposed, saying such would amount to double jeopardy since his client is facing a civil matter before the FCT High Court.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Ojukwu ordered a seven years jail term on each count with an option of N50 million fine on each of the two counts.
Ojukwu also ordered Hussaini to pay N100 million as compensation to the victims of the crime, Yemi Obadeyi and Cambial Limited.
The convict will remain in prison pending the fulfillment of the terms of fine.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved the appointment of six new permanent secretaries in the Federal Civil Service, after the recently conducted selection process.
Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), made this known in a statement in Abuja through Mohammed Ahmed, Director of Communications of the Office of the HOCSF, NAN reports.
The appointees and their states of origin are Esuabana Asanye (Cross River), Mahmud Kambari (Borno), Richard Pheelangwah (Taraba), Lamuwa Ibrahim (Gombe), Yakubu Kofar-Mata (Kano) and Oloruntola Michael (Ogun).
According to Yemi-Esan, the date for the swearing-in and deployment of the new appointees will be announced in due course.
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday said it has identified some key players in the plot for an Interim Government in Nigeria.
The secret service made this known in a series of tweets on Wednesday.
It said the plot for an interim government is a mischievous way to set aside the constitution, undermine civil rule and plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.
“The illegality is totally unacceptable in a democracy and to the peace loving Nigerians.
“This is even more so that the machination is taking place after the peaceful conduct of the elections in most parts of the country. The planners, in their many meetings, have weighed various options, which include, among others, to sponsor endless violent mass protests in major cities to warrant a declaration of State of Emergency.
“Another is to obtain frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations and legislative houses at the federal and state levels.
The service, however, strongly warned those organising the plot to retract from their devious schemes and orchestrations.
DSS cautioned all stakeholders and Nigerians to be watchful and avoid being used as instruments to subvert peace and stability of the nation.
It added that it is monitoring and will not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against the perpetrators.
Abdulaziz Yari, former governor of Zamfara state, has declared interest to run for the office of senate president.
In the February 25 presidential election, Bola Tinubu, president-elect and presidential candidate of the APC, polled 2,652,235 votes in the north-west — the highest APC got in a geopolitical zone.
Yari is expected to represent Zamfara west senatorial district in the 10th national assembly.
Speaking in a video shared on Twitter by Imran Muhammad, an APC stalwart, the former Zamfara governor said: “The election has come, gone and the same zone (north-west) demonstrated what they are doing and took the lead in terms of producing votes to our president-elect and party.
“Despite the fact that some people were thinking about how to subvert it, we have done our best despite the challenges.
“Now, we have president (Tinubu) from the south-west, we have the vice-president from the north-east and the north-west is waiting.
“I believe if my zone decides to support me they are not supporting the wrong person. I believe they know my capacity right from party chairman, member of house of representatives and governor.”
Yari will have to slug it out with the likes of Jibrin Barau, David Umahi, Orji Kalu, Ali Ndume and Godswill Akpabio for the number one seat in the senate.
In May 2022, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Yari over alleged fraud relating to the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
The former Zamfara governor was arrested over allegations of fraud levelled against Ahmed Idris, the suspended accountant-general.
Tension has continued to build up across the country, particularly among the supporters of presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi over purported plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to get him arrested.
The alleged move was sequel to the activities of the former Anambra Governor, his running mate, Datti Ahmed and their supporters after losing the February 25 presidential poll.
Recall that Peter Obi, his party and supporters, popularly known as Obidients, rejected the outcome of the just concluded presidential poll that produced Bola Tinubu of APC as president-elect.
DAILY POST reports that Obi, who through his campaigns late 2022, galvanised many young and first-time voters, came third in the presidential poll, behind the winner, Bola Tinubu of the ruling party and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar.
Obi and Atiku who vowed to seek redress in court to overturn Tinubu’s victory after alleging that the electoral umpire was compromised to manipulate the results of the elections, had in several outings, called for the cancellation of the results.
Obi on March 2, while addressing a world press conference in Abuja, alleged that the election was programmed to deliver a predetermined outcome.
Obi also said the election did not meet the necessary requirements and could not be adjudged credible, insisting that there is evidence signalling his victory.
According to Obi, the election that brought Tinubu was not excellent, stating that the former Lagos governor does not deserve the excellency title.
Similarly, Obi’s running mate, Datti on Wednesday insisted that Tinubu cannot be sworn in as president of the country.
Datti declared during an interview with Arise Television that swearing in Tinubu would be “as good as swearing in a military regime”.
According to the vice presidential candidate, there was a constitutional breach during the presidential poll that produced Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as president-elect.
DAILY POST observed that tension over purported moves to arrest Obi and Datti started building up when a Nollywood veteran actor, Kanayo O Kanayo raised the alarm, alleging that there were plots to arrest Obi.
In an Instagram post, the veteran actor said: “Peter Gregory Obi will soon be arrested. Watch Out. The conspiracy is brewing, you want to bet?”
In what looks like a corroboration to Kanoyo’s revelation, a spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, on Thursday petitioned the Department of State Services, DSS demanding the arrest of Obi and his running mate.
Keyamo, current Minister of State for Labour and Employment, asked DSS to arrest and prosecute Obi and his running mate, Datti Ahmed over alleged “incitement and treasonable felony”.
In the petition addressed to the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, dated March 23, the minister stated that in a post-election period such as this, there is a need to soothe frayed nerves, lower the temperature and begin the healing process.
The Minister, however, noted that since the declaration of the Presidential election results, Obi and his running mate have been hopping from one media house to the other allegedly making incendiary comments and claims regarding the declaration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Speaking with DAILY POST on the matter, the chief spokesperson of the Obi/Datti campaign council, Salisu Tanko tackled Keyamo, stating that the minister was only making baseless accusations.
He questioned why Keyamo and his cohort failed to call for the arrest of former Lagos State National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, chairman Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo who allegedly incited religious violence during the Gubernatorial elections in the state.
He said, “Keyamo, the so-called patriotic citizen, didn’t report MC Oluomo who told Igbos not to vote in Lagos.
“After the shameful Chatham House appearance, his principal was recorded telling key supporters to fight, snatch, grab and run with ballot boxes which was exactly what happened in the elections. Why didn’t Keyamo the ‘Patriotic citizen’ report to the DSS.
“Keyamo is just making baseless accusations, he’s a known Rabble rouser and chatterbox who doesn’t want to lose political relevance before his paymaster who has now seen him for what he is, which is a political paper weight, who has achieved nothing as a minister except posting fake news to rile up the polity on social media.”
Also speaking with DAILY POST, an activist and staunch supporter of Peter Obi, Okoh Marcus said any attempt to arrest Obi will set the entire nation ablaze.
He said, “Nigerians are already fed up with all these unending issues from these old politicians who want to impose themselves on us.
“Any attempt to arrest Obi will not go well with Nigeria. Let somebody try to touch that man, that is when the anger in us will come out. They should stop that rubbish.
“If not for the case in court that has calmed Obidients, by now ‘EndSARS promax’ would have started”.
When contacted, the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunnanya declined to comment on the matter.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the just concluded general elections, Peter Obi, has reacted to the topless protest by women in Nasarawa State over the outcome of the polls.
Women in Akwanga Local government Area of Nasarawa State had yesterday stripped themselves half-naked to protest the outcome of the governorship election in the state.
The women claimed that their mandate was stolen and insisted that their votes must count.
Obi, in a reaction on Twitter on Friday night, said that the purpose of elections is defeated when the people are denied their choices.
“I just came across a sad, heartbreaking video where Nasarawa women staged a topless protest as a means of registering their displeasure with the election results,” he said.
The Labour Party presidential candidate said that it is a grave injustice when citizens could not have the opportunity to vote in a free, fair and credible process.
He lamented that women whose rights should be protected have now been degraded.
Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was declared winner of the March 18 governorship election in Nasarawa State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Collation and Returning Officer in the State Prof Ishaya Tanko, said that the APC candidate polled a total of 347, 209 votes to defeat his closest opponent and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, David Ombugadu, who scored 283, 016 votes
The Head, Media and Communications of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Diran Onifade, speaks with AYOOLA OLASUPO about the issues arising from the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections
Your party disagreed with the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the presidential election, are you confident that decision could still be overturned, given the upset people say it might cause?
Yes, that is why the law says that if you have genuine reasons to believe that you have been cheated in an election, you should go to the tribunal. That is the law and we are law-abiding people. You know we have a case so we will argue the case before the judges and we are very optimistic that they will see reasons with us because we think we have been cheated. Justice is a condition for peace and injustice is a quick condition for the lack of peace. Justice cannot lead to the breakdown of peace in fact it is injustice that can lead to that.
The APC has maintained that it won the election, PDP has said the same and LP is also claiming victory, what makes you think it will go your way?
INEC did not follow its rules, and every political party has an idea of what is called invalid election because of the way INEC organised it. Every political party has the results. The scores at the polling units were not what were used to declare the winner. It was something else. So, we are confident of victory, going by the real results from the election.
During the collation of results by INEC, the spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Ndi Kato, raised the alarm over manipulation of results and that some persons were rewriting the results, what did you witness?
We all saw it. The results that were submitted to the situation room by the polling agents of each political party were different from what INEC used. What was eventually used to collate in many cases were different. We have been seeing on the Internet copies of results that were supposedly uploaded and how the results were tampered with. The exercise was okay at the level of voting but the collation was something else. That was because of the gaps INEC left. That election was a mess.
In the history of Nigeria, the Supreme Court has never nullified the election of a president, no matter how flawed the election was. What makes you think that would change this time round?
There is always a first time. Maybe they never had reasons to do so in the past but there is always a first time. I mean it was the first time when Peter Obi was impeached as governor, he went back to court and fought his impeachment when he was cheated and after three years the court ruled in his favour. So, there is always a first time. What happened in this election was too glaring. The whole world saw it. The level of observation was unprecedented. There is a plethora of evidence. This was daylight robbery. They were robbing in the presence of everybody because the world was seeing it.
Some people have claimed that Mr Peter Obi could not have won the election because he doesn’t have as much support in the North as he does in the South, what do you make of that argument?
This was their permutation during the election, and they will be surprised. They were saying that we didn’t have structure and that there were just four people tweeting in a room. At the end of the day, in spite of all the shenanigans, the difference between him and the people they declared as winner of the election was just two million votes. They have been saying that he (Peter Obi) does not have structure but how does somebody who does not have structure come that close with APC and PDP in a national election? We came to Lagos and beat the godfather of Lagos politics. They couldn’t even tamper with that. Well, what is the structure anyway? A structure of criminality they have put together to perpetrate themselves in power to permanently superintend over our common wealth and to permanently keep to themselves the resources that belong to over 200 million people. We won the election and we will present the evidence before the court. Peter Obi shook Nigeria without structure.
Politics / "Peter Obi Was Not Qualified To Contest The Presidential Election" by peekspot(m): 5:29am On Apr 12, 2023 
