Category: Lead

• Supreme Court affirms Osun governor’s election

President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has congratulated Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke for his victory at the Supreme Court, urging him to move quickly to unite the state.

The President-elect said everyone must respect the Supreme Court’s judgment being the final court in the land giving its verdict on the Osun governorship election.

Tinubu also praised the immediate-past governor, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, for discharging himself creditably during his first term.

A statement yesterday by his media office reads: “I congratulate Mr. Ademola Adeleke on his declaration by the Supreme Court as winner of the Osun governorship election. The apex court has spoken, and all of us must obey. It is the right thing to do for democracy and rule of law to thrive.

“I must also commend the immediate-past governor, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, for exercising his democratic rights as the constitution allows him to do. Governor Oyetola discharged himself creditably in office. He lost the office but did not lose his integrity and reputation as the governor who brought efficiency, transparency and accountability to the business of governance.

“Now that the election matter has been brought to a close, I urge Governor Adeleke to settle down to work and continue from where the former governor left it. He should move to unite the state. I also urge all the people to work for peace and progress in the state.”

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the election of Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the July 16, 2022 governorship election in Osun State.

A five-man panel, led by Justice John Okoro, unanimously held that former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), who were pwtitioners at the tribunal, failed to lead relevant evidence in support of their case.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, in the lead judgment, held that the evidence relied on by the appellants (Oyetola and APC) were insufficient to ground their case.

The apex court also affirmed the March 25 judgment of the Appeal Court in Abuja which upheld Adeleke’s victory. The Appeal Court had set aside an earlier judgment by the tribuna which held in favour of Oyetola and sacked Adeleke.

Justice Agim held that since grounds two and three of the appellants’ petition was about non/improper accreditation and over-voting, they ought to tender primary evidence and not the ‘third hand’ evidence they relied on in the form of the report of INEC backend server or database.

He added: “Since the BVAS was the sole foundation and focal point of the appellants’ case, it was imperative they produce the BVAS from the 744 polling units or the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the content of the BVAS in evidence, and show that the record therein has established non-accreditation, improper accreditation of voters and over-voting in the 744 polling units.

“It is glaring that the appellants did not produce any BVAS from any of the 744 polling units and, rather, sought to prove their case of non and improper accreditation and over-voting by means of the report of the examination of the INEC database or backend server (Exhibit EVR) containing the number of accredited voters and the number of votes for each polling unit, transmitted from the BVAS in each polling unit.”

Justice Agim also held that the Form EC8A from the polling units; the expert report of the analysis of the Form EC8A and EVR, and the testimonies of two witnesses called by the appellants, were insufficient to prove their case.

He added: “It is not in dispute that the Form EC8A results were collated at the Ward Collation Centre and the Local Government Collation Centre. The collation raises the assumption that the number of accredited voters in Form EC8A and the number of votes therein agree with the number of accredited voters recorded in the BVAS and the result transmitted to the IRev.

“This is so by virtue of Regulation 48(a) of INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2022. Without the BVAS, it is impossible to rebut this presumption created by Regulation 48 (a) of INEC Regulations and Guidelines. The EVR is a report or evidence of data transmitted by the BVAS to the backend server or database so that what is not transmitted at a particular time to the database cannot be contained therein and cannot be contained in the EVR, an extract of the records from the database.

“The EVR is neither the evidence of the accreditation process nor a direct record of the accredited voters. It is a third hand evidence derived from the database, which is a second hand evidence, derived from transmissions from the BVAS.”

He also added that the Electoral Act and INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of 2022 election do not require the Presiding Officers to transmit by BVAS the number or particulars of accredited voters, or the accreditation records of the poll to the database or backend server of INEC as calcined by the appellants.

“I hold that it is the record in the BVAS machines or accredited voters or a certified true copy of INEC certificate of the content of that record from each polling unit that can prove the number of accredited voters in a polling unit on the day of election and nothing else.”

He faulted the appellants ‘argument that voters register was no longer needed to prove over-voting, noting that it remains a major item in proving over-voting. Justice Agim also faulted the appellants’ claim that Adeleke tendered forged credentials to INEC. He held that in the face of two subsisting judgments of the Court of Appeal that Adeleke did not forge his academic certificates, the tribunal was wrong to have agreed with the petitioners on the issue.

He upheld the respondents’ contention that the tribunal conducted unfair trial breached their right to fair hearing when it failed to effectively hear and determine the preliminary objection raised against its jurisdiction to hear the petition

The judge held that having failed to first determine whether or not it possessed jurisdiction, the proceedings at the trial tribunal amounted to a nullity.

He upheld the appellants ‘ contention that the majority decision of the tribunal was valid even when the second member only appended her signature without referring her opinion.

Fuel subsidy debate took the front burner of a policy conversation and book presentation attended by eminent personalities in Abuja yesterday.

Some of the dignitaries — Lamido Sanusi, Nasir El-Rufai and World Bank Country Director in Nigeria Shubham Chaudhuri — said the policy should be stopped because of its negative impact on the nation’s economy.

To Sanusi, a former Emir of Kano,  it amounts to “stupidity” for the Federal Government to  continue   subsidy payments   when it  is  clear that it is pushing the nation into ”bankruptcy.”

He, therefore, called on the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to stop the policy.

Sanusi, who is also a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said those in support of subsidy must realise that “cheap fuel” is not more beneficial to the poor than education,   healthcare and power.  

His words: “In  2011, we tried to explain that it’s bad economics; for every $1 billion Nigeria spends on fuel subsidy, it is $1 billion out of education, $1 billion out of healthcare, $1 billion out of power, $1billion out of infrastructure.

“What you (people in support of subsidy) are saying is that for the poor people in this nation, cheap fuel is more important than education, more important than healthcare, more important than power, etc. If you do that for 30, 40 years, what kind of country are you going to have? Which is what we have had.”

Sanusi described what currently obtains in Nigeria as a hedge and not subsidy.

He added:  “As subsidy is, you’ll say if the price is X, we’ll pay 20 percent of it. That’s a subsidy. You will never pay more than X. For a product, whose price I do not control, it doesn’t matter whether the oil price is $200 or $150 a barrel, the Nigerian government has an unlimited pocket, and it will fund the difference.

“The exchange rate can move from N150 to N500 and the Nigerian government will fund it (subsidy). It’s stupidity. You’re heading to bankruptcy. We are walking into bankruptcy with our eyes open.

“We can’t ignore that, and therefore, if I have a new government on May 29 that tells me, ‘Oh, I’m going to continue paying this subsidy for the next three years,’ I’m going to say you’re not serious.

“I’m going to just close my eyes and get ready for the next election in 2027 because we’re going to be here in 2027 talking about the same things.

“People say phase it, but what happens if you start phasing and a year from now you’ve had a massive devaluation? ” 

El-Rufai, who is the governor of Kaduna State, said that President Muhammadu Buhari had agreed that fuel subsidy spending made no sense but refused to halt it.

He said: “Between September and November 2021, the National Economic Council gave us an assignment to work out what to do if we withdraw subsidy, how much will be raised, etc. We worked with experts and the World Bank.

The council, according to him,  developed a framework on what to do with what would be saved once subsidy is halted, and how to release more money for education, health, infrastructure, etc.

“We came out with a report on what to do with the resources, which will be transparently explained to Nigerians. Components of it include investment in security, social protection, etc. The report is there,” the governor said.

El Rufai explained in 202,   governors sensed danger when they noticed that the    Federal Government budgeted N200 billion for roads and  N1.2 trillion subsidy.

The governor said he approached the President and asked: “Does it make sense to you for us to spend N200 billion on all federal roads in Nigeria in one year, and six times that on cheap petrol?

“He (President) said it ‘doesn’t make sense’. So, why are we doing it? This is something we’ve been studying for many years. We have a framework and the economic council agreed, all the 36 governors of Nigeria agreed that it should be withdrawn.  We had a clear plan on where the money would go.

“Some of it will go to the Federal Government, some to the states, local governments areas, and for interventions. We all agreed. The President said, no! That’s it.“

World Bank Country Director   Chaudhuri repeated the bank’s call for subsidy removal, stressing that it was adversely impacting Nigeria’s economy.

Anambra State Governor   Charles Soludo, who also attended the event organised by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Agora Policy, said there must be institutional change “for Nigeria to have economic diversity, speed and sustainability.”

“If we don’t tame the politics, if we don’t produce what I call productive politics, rather than consumption-oriented politics that has dominated over time, we are not going to be able to achieve both speed and sustainability,” he added.

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) yesterday rejected the request by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the February 25 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, for a prompt hearing of their motion to have the proceedings aired live.

Their lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN) had, at the pre-hearing, said his client filed a motion to have the proceedings televised.

Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) for INEC, Akin Olujinmi (SAN) for Bola Tinubu, and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) for the APC said they would file their responses within the time allowed by the rules of the court.

Justice Haruna Tsammani ruled that Uche’s application would be heard along with other pending ones. 

The judge said the application would be considered for hearing after the respondents had filed their responses within the time allowed.

He adjourned further pre-hearing sessions till 2 pm tomorrow.

Justice Tsammani directed lawyers to harmonise their positions on documents to be tendered, those to be objected to and those to be allowed in without objection.

He also ordered them to file their distilled issues for determination.

The court gave similar directives on the petition by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

It adjourned further pre-hearing session in the petition by the APM till 9 am tomorrow.

Also yesterday, the PDP called for the live broadcast of the tribunal proceedings.

National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said at a briefing: “This application, which is innocuous, is in the interest of openness, which is an essential ingredient of participatory democracy, especially as Nigerians are desirous of being directly involved at every stage of the electoral process.”

• House Speaker, Dep. Speaker candidates visit President-elect
• Senate President candidate widens support base
• Northcentral senators protest zone’s neglect

Candidates nominated for presiding officers’ positions in the National Assembly yesterday took steps to rally support for their aspirations.

On Monday, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) announced its zoning plan for the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Senate and House of Representatives.

It nominated Senator Godswill Akpabio for Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau as Deputy Senate President, Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker and Benjamen Kalu as Deputy Speaker.

Senator Akpabio has begun moves to rally senators’ support.

Also, Abbas and Kalu yesterday conferred with President-elect Bola Tinubu in Lagos.

An Abbas support group, the Joint Task Group, presented the duo to Tinubu at his home.

However, aggrieved APC senators from the Northcentral have written to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on what they described as the alleged neglect of the region in the distribution of the principal offices.

Akpabio (Akwa Ibom Northwest), who has set up a contact and mobilisation committee, has received endorsement from no fewer than 62 senators as of last night, it was learnt yesterday.

Akpabio had dinner with senators-elect across party lines in Abuja. Close to 60 senators-elect attended.

Some of his supporters who were out of town sent their apologies.

Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, three Senators from the state, Akwa Ibom APC elders, Niger Delta and Arewa youths hailed the ruling party’s decision to endorse the former Niger Delta minister.

Ekiti State senators-elect pledged support for Akpabio. The candidate met with Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Senators-elect Yemi Adaramodu and Cyril Fasuyi in company with Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

Oyebanji said: “All Ekiti senators and the leaders, all the former governors, we are in the same boat. 

“We respect the sanctity of the party and we appeal to all contenders to also follow the advice of the National Working Committee. It is only when we are united that we can ensure a progressive development of the country.”

The announcement by the APC NEW on zoning sent the opposition parties into a frenzy. Many contestants within the ruling party were also hit by the party’s nomination of candidates.

Many lawmakers-elect supporting other contestants apart from those picked by the party, immediately withdrew their support in respect of the party’s supremacy.

Some others are still insisting on going ahead in opposition to the ruling party’s position.

APC defends action on zoning

A broader picture of Nigeria, balancing, fairness and equity informed the zoning of the Senate President and other positions, APC spokesman Felix Morka said.

Morka spoke in a chat on a national television monitored in Lagos.

On the choice of Southsouth for the Senate’s top post, Morka said that nobody from the region has occupied that office since 1999.

He said: “I see no reason the Senate president should not come from the Southsouth region. It is on record that no Senate President has come from that region in this dispensation. 

“Other regions have had their share. That, however, does not say that the Southeast is ineligible to vie for the office”.

He added that it was just equitable and fair to zone the number three office to a zone that has not tasted it in 24 years.

Checks by The Nation reveal that at least the Southeast produced five Senate Presidents between 1999 and 2007.

They are the late Evan Enwerem, the late Chuka Okadigbo, Anyim Pius Anyim, Adolphus Wabara and Ken Nnamani.

Morka said: “The announcement we made yesterday was the outcome of the protracted consultations and engagements with leaders and stakeholders in our party.

“The issue of the zone was discussed and agreed upon. But the party went beyond that by unveiling the outcomes of these consultations.

“Typically, parties may zone to regions and leave off the micro-level specifications of suggestions of individuals. That is one module. The field was already getting toxic and we feel we should reduce the scope.

“In our constitution, consensus is a mode of selection for those who intend to play whatever role in any capacity for the party.

“I think we are making an unnecessarily big deal from the suggested names for leadership positions in the coming 10th Assembly.

“Sometimes, when people aspire, they are blind-sided by their aspirations and they don’t look at issues in the national interest.

“In this dispensation, Southsouth has not occupied that office and it is just fair that that region should occupy that office in this era.”

The party’s image maker said the decision of the party was borne out of extensive consultations with many of the interests within the party.

Dismissing allegations of trying to circumvent the legislative process, Morka said: “Every party member, including the members of our party, has the constitutional right to aspire. The APC is not trying to circumvent the fundamental right of anyone.

“The party is not in the position to nominate. We didn’t nominate. What we did was simply zoning.

“What I said in the statement is that we received reports of the consultation and we revealed the zoning arrangement that was suggested by the totality of the consultation conducted by the party on all levels.

“And we are offering the outcome of our consultations to our members and to some members of the opposition to consider.

“The party has the right to come up with a suggestion on who should be supported for the leadership positions in the National Assembly.

“It is true that we have made recommendations but we are not dictating to the legislative arm of government. 

“What we are doing is simply offering direction to our members and by extension to other members in the House.

“There is something we call national interest, equity, inclusion, a sense of ownership and that is what the party has done,” Morka reiterated.

18 Northcentral senators-elect reject zoning 

The 18 senators-elect from Northcentral rejected the zoning of principal offices, urging the party to immediately retrace its steps. They complained that zoning “schemes us out of the power-sharing formula of the country”.

The Northcentral senators-elect, in a letter to the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, rejected the zoning formula, saying that it excluded their zone.

The 18 lawmakers lamented that the Northcentral may not produce any presiding officer in both chambers, despite the fact that neither the President-elect nor the Vice President-elect is from the zone.

The letter by the lawmakers-elect was titled: “Resolution of the Northcentral Caucus of the 10th Senate on NASS Leadership Zoning.”

It was signed by 18 Senators-elect – Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East); Senator Ashiru Oyelola Yisa (Kwara South); Senator Sadiq Umar Suleiman (Kwara North); Senator-elect Mustapha Saliu (Kwara Central) and Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi East).

Others are, Senator Abba Moro (Benue South); Senator Godiya Akwashiki (Nassarawa North); Senator-elect Ahmed Aliyu Wadada(Nassarawa West); Senator-elect Ireti Kingibe (FCT); Senator-elect Sunday Karimi Steve (Kogi West); Senator-elect Ohere Sadiku Abubakar (Kogi Central) and Senator-elect Peter Ndalikali Jiya (Niger South).

Senator-elect Napoleon Binkap Bali (Plateau South); Senator-elect Mwadkion Simon Davou (Plateau North); Senator-elect Diket Plang (Plateau Central); Senator-elect Mohammed O. Onawo (Nassarawa South); Senator-elect Emmanuel M. Udende (Benue East) and Senator-elect Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue West) also signed the letter.

The letter from the North Central Senators-elect to Adamu reads in part: “We the North Central Senators-elect Caucus met on Monday the 8th May 2023 and resolved as follows:

“Our caucus reviewed the proposed zoning structure released, and we are not pleased and comfortable with the allocation of the positions of the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 10th National Assembly to a particular geopolitical zone of the country (Northwest), we hereby reject it.

“The convention has always been that the six geopolitical zones of the country will have one each of the six positions.

“Now that the Southwest and Northeast have produced the President-Elect and Vice President-elect respectively, it is only fair and natural that the positions of the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives should be shared amongst the other four geopolitical zones, that is the Northcentral, Southcouth, Southeast and Northwest.

“Sequel to the above, we as a caucus are calling on the APC to immediately retract its earlier decision, which schemes us out of the power-sharing formula of the country and cede the position of the Deputy Senate President to the Northcentral Zone so as to ensure fairness, equity and justice for a smooth 10th Senate.”

Also, a group, Coalition for National Spread and Balance Representation (CNSBR), called for fairness, justice and equitable zoning, adding that the Northcentral should produce the Deputy Senate President.

Its Convener, Adamu Dauda, said the neglect of the Northcentral in the power-sharing has sent a bad signal to lawmakers elected from the region, despite their commitment and loyalty to the party since 2015.

Ndume: Akpabio only a preferred choice 

Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South District, who is eyeing the slot, said Akpabio is not the “anointed” candidate of the party.

Speaking on Arise TV, Ndume said Akpabio is only a preferred choice of the party.

Ndume said describing Akpabio as the anointed candidate would connote a “fait accompli”, adding that the label does not represent the situation.

He said the senators will still vote to determine the leader of the Red Chamber.

Kawu to Tinubu: learn from past mistakes 

The Senator-elect from Kano South District, Sulaiman Kawu, advised the Tinubu and the party leadership not to repeat the mistake of the past by zoning the position of Presiding Officers of the Senate.

Kawu, who is a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), spoke at a press briefing in Abuja.

He described the zoning by the APC as an insult to opposition members-elect.

He urged the APC and the President-elect to do the right thing through consultation with the National Assembly members-elect and other critical stakeholders to resolve the logjam.

Arewa youths endorses Akpabio 

The Arewa Youth Assembly urged the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to stop unnecessary utterances against the endorsement of Akpabio and Senator Barau Jibril as Senate President and Deputy Senate President by the President-elect.

“Akpabio deserves to be Senate President, and Jibrin will be a great Deputy Senate President,” a statement by the Director of Political Affairs of Arewa Youth Assembly, Musa Mujahid Zaitawa, said.

Niger Delta youths: we support zoning to Southsouth 

Niger Delta youth leaders under the auspices of the Niger Delta Youth Leaders Association (NDYLA) said zoning of the slot to the Southsouth was a step in the right direction.

At a press conference in Warri, its National President, Lucky Emononefe and Secretary, Festus Dumbari, said in a statement that Akpabio deserves the support of the zone.

Southsouth APC elders: on Akpabio we stand 

Akwa Ibom South (Eket) APC elders hailed the party’s decision to pick Akpabio as chairman of the National Assembly.

Under the aegis of the Eket Senatorial District Elders Forum, they also appreciated Asiwaju Tinubu for his resoluteness in ensuring that the Senate Presidency slot comes to the Southsouth.

Rising from a meeting yesterday in Eket, chaired by Prince Akpabio Ukpa, Chairman of the forum, they thanked Tinubu and other party leaders for the confidence reposed in the former governor.

Speaker: ‘Aggrieved candidates may defy APC’ 

Aggrieved lawmakers are planning to move against Abbas, it was learnt.

Sources said they may eventually forge an alliance to wrestle the position from Abbas, who is also from the same Northwest as the proposed Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin.

But supporters of Abbas have also intensified their consultation and mobilisation at the venue of the ongoing induction training for senators and members-elect.

A source also said some opposition members-elect from New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) have queued behind Betara.

Southeast groups reject Kalu’s endorsement 

Two groups, the Igbo Youth Progressives Forum and Ndigbo United Front (NUF), condemned the decision of APC leadership to endorse Kalu as Deputy Speaker, describing it as unjustifiable and not in the interest of the Igbo race.

They called on the party to rescind the decision and allow the House to pick the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The National President of the forum, Charles Nonso Okoye, in the statement said the group is sure that Mr Kalu will not represent or protect the interest of the Igbo in the House.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have initiated moves to reconcile the presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Atiku Abubakar, with the G-5 governors.

The PDP Governors Forum will bring Atiku and the governors under the same roof since they parted ways before the general election.

The G-5 governors had called for the resignation of suspended chairman Iyorchia Ayu.

They contended that it was unfair to the South for the presidential candidate and the party chairman to come from the same regional bloc.

Both camps remained at loggerheads until the polls, which Atiku lost, while Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike continued to push for power to return to the South.

The planned reunion is scheduled to hold tomorrow at the Abuja Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

The G-5 governors listed to attend the event are Wike, Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

Others are Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).

PDP Governors-elect expected at the event are Umo Bassey Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau).

Director General of the PDP Governors Forum, C.I.D. Maduabum said the event will serve as an opportunity for PDP leaders, stakeholders and members to come together for the first time after the general election.

He added that the event will also provide the governors with the opportunity to organise a welcome/reception programme for all PDP governors-elect and those re-elected for a second term.

It will also serve as a send-forth ceremony for the outgoing ones.

The statement reads: “This event will feature a discussion on ‘good governance at the sub-national level: issues, perspectives, expectations and outcomes’, which will lay out the challenges facing governance at the sub-national level and possible solutions. 

“It is to be presented by Dr. Muda Yusuf, a renowned economist, as a guest speaker.

“It is expected to be a star-studded event as invitations have been extended to the Acting PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Umar Iliya Damagum and members of the PDP National Working Committee; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Namadi Sambo, former Vice President; former PDP governors, current and former PDP presiding/principal officers of the National Assembly, party leaders, stakeholders, friends and well-wishers.”

Past chairmen of the forum to be honoured are Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe) and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa).

The event is organised by Sokoto State Governor and forum chairman, Aminu Tambuwal.