Today’s Headlines: Atiku, Obi Join Forces Against Tinubu At Tribunal, Cash Transfer Is Scam—Uba Sani

Atiku, Obi join forces against Tinubu at tribunal

The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi at the February 25, 2023 election have both blasted President Bola Tinubu for saying that nullifying the election that produced him as president could lead to anarchy.

Both candidates had in separate petitions filed at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) in Abuja, challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Tinubu as the president. They are praying the court to hold that at the time of the presidential election, Tinubu was not qualified to contest on the grounds of forfeiture of proceeds from drug trafficking and money laundering in the US, declaration of allegiance to another country other than Nigeria, presenting a forged university certificate, perjury and inability to win the highest votes cast in the election.

In the final address settled by his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN, Atiku said that INEC’S assertion that he won in 21 States was neither disputed, retracted, debunked not claimed to be error through the proceedings of the Tribunal so far.

Atiku Abubakar urged the court to uphold the declaration by IEC that he won 21 states in the February 25 Presidential election.

INEC had, in its response to Atiku’s petition, asserted that the PDP presidential candidate won 21 states of the Federation in the last presidential poll.

The 21 states listed by INEC as having been won by Atiku and PDP are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom. Bauchi. Bavelsa. Borno, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina. Kebbi. Kogi. Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

Both candidates also said that for a candidate to be declared president according to the constitution, the person must score 25 percent of valid votes in the Federal Capital Territory. Obi also alleged that Vice President Kashim Shettima, had at the time of his nomination as running mate, already been declared the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Borno Central.

Photo Credit: Google

Cash Transfer Is Scam—Uba Sani

Photos Credits: Vanguard paper

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state, has described the proposed cash transfer policy of the Federal Government as a scam.

Sule stated this while speaking in an interview with Arise Television’s Night on Friday.

The governor said, “My position has always been that, at this critical time, cash transfer should not be something that we should bring up, completely. I think that cash transfer for me, in my opinion, is a scam. Completely is a scam. I can be very certain about that, because who are you transferring the money to?

“Let me give an example, go and check the current statistics. Like I said, as the Chairman, Committee of Banking for four years in Nigeria, I oversight Central Bank, I oversight all the commercial sector of our economy for the last four years and I look at the statistics, I will be very firm on this issue and you can go and check it.

Fubara Warns Against Politics Of Bitterness

Photo Credit:Vanguard papers

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has cautioned against politics of bitterness, saying his administration will be open to constructive criticisms to deliver on its key mandate.

Fubara made this known when the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Rivers State led by its Chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, who is also the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

This was contained in a statement signed by the media aide to the governor, Boniface Onyedi, and made available to newsmen.

Fubara said it was easier for the PDP in the state to coast home to victory because of the intense presence of the party across the 23 LGAs of the state.

Earlier in his address, the IPAC Secretary in the state, Omangima Harry, had on behalf of the body, congratulated the governor on his victory at the last governorship elections in the state and expressed confidence in the governor’s ability to deliver good governance in the state.

Meanwhile, Fubara has called for stronger economic synergy between international oil companies and the government to promote a striving business environment in the state.

Fubara made the call in Port Harcourt on Friday while hosting the outgoing Managing Director/Country Chair of Total Energies EP Nigeria Limited, Mike Sangster and his team on a courtesy call.

Court fixes date for Emefiele’s arraignment

Photo Credit: Premium Times)

The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed Tuesday (25 July) for the arraignment of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on charges of Illegal possession of firearm.

The State Security Service (SSS), which has been holding Mr Emefiele in custody since 10 June, had filed the charges on Thursday (13 July), the same day a judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja gave the agency a one-week ultimatum to either charge him in court or release him.

The SSS had held Mr Emefiele for over a month without charges until the 13 July ruling. The trial judge, Nicholas Oweibo, of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, fixed 25 July for arraignment after he was assigned the case.

Channels Television reports that one of Mr Emefiele’s lawyers, Victor Opara, a Senior Adocate of Nigeria (SAN), confirmed that the defence team had received the hearing notice for the arraignment.

Mr Emefiele’s defence team has been led by a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Joseph Daudu, a SAN, in the major cases that he has filed since his arrest.

Confaamnews (
)