Today's Headlines: Why Petitions By Atiku, Obi Should Be Dismissed -Tinubu; Tinubu Hails Osoba At 84

Tinubu:Why Petitions By Atiku, Obi Should Be Dismissed

Photo Credit:The Nation papers

President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima are asking the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) to disregard claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and their presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, that it is mandatory for a candidate to score 25 per cent of votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to be declared president.

The Nation learnt that the two final addresses were filed on Friday by the Tinubu/Shettima legal team, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN.

Describing both petitions as strange and hollow, Tinubu and Shettima argued that neither of the two sets of petitions provided relevant evidence to support the claims of the plaintiffs that the election was not held in compliance with relevant laws or that the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the APC were not qualified to contest the election.

The defendants said the suits could not even be considered as petitions within the context of the nation’s electoral laws as they were strangely not “complaining about election rigging, ballot box snatching, ballot box stuffing, violence, thuggery, vote buying, voters’ intimidation, disenfranchisement, interference by the military or the police, and such other electoral vices.”

Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu hail Osoba at 84

Photo Credit: Punch papers

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Saturday, described former Ogun State governor, Olusegun Osoba, as an important statesman whose life is worth emulating.

“His life is worthy of emulation as it will serve as a useful beacon for many, particularly the upcoming Nigerians,” Tinubu said in his birthday message to Osoba who turned 84 on July 15, 2023.

The President’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, revealed this in a statement he signed on Saturday.

Tinubu said, “Today, I rejoice with the family, friends, and numerous associates of a prominent journalist, former governor of Ogun State and elder statesman, Chief Olusegun Osoba, on attaining 84.

“Apro-democracy activist who fought stridently for democracy and progressive good governance in Nigeria. It’s no surprise that his people elected him twice as governor of Ogun State.”

With 20m out-of-school children, Nigeria not ready for development — Obi

Photo Credit: Guardian Nigeria

The Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate for the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, yesterday said: “Nigeria is ill-prepared for development, if it does not address its 20 million out-of-school children.”

Obi bemoaned the fact that there were more out-of-school children in Nigeria than persons living in Singapore, Norway, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates combined.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of students of Pacesetters Academy, Abuja, the former governor of Anambra State, added that “investing in education is vital for national development.”

He said: “You can’t have 20 million children out of school, that is what the UNICEF said, and be thinking about development tomorrow.

“When they talk about 20 million children out of school, people will not understand it, but I can tell you that if you follow the 2022 analysis on the population of countries, we are talking about the population of Norway, Ireland, Singapore and Dubai put together. If you put the population of these successful countries together, their population is 19.7 million and we have 20 million out-of-school children.

“We have the population of more than these four thriving and developed countries put together out of school kids. You can imagine what it would be if we invest in that area.”

Obi, who was the keynote speaker at the event, noted that investment in education played a critical role in long-term productivity and growth of any nation.

He further stated that this would prepare the ground for a skilled workforce that would be globally competitive and provide a lasting socio-economic development for the country.

“For me, education is the most important thing any national needs. It has been shown in various studies that what differentiates development and underdevelopment is education.

“The more you remove people out of poverty, the more you reduce criminality and you can’t do that unless you invest in Education. The more people are educated, the more they are able to pull themselves from poverty.

He also condemned the conferment of national honours on corrupt individuals by the past administration.

Chairman, Pacesetters schools, Abuja, Kenneth Imansuangbon, said the pupils have been given all-round qualitative education that distinguishes them from their counterparts in other schools, stressing that the school has high esteem for determination and hard work, which produces success both in academics and extra curricula activities.

“We have trained them well. They should go out and represent the country as ambassadors, they are the future of Nigeria.

“Nigeria needs change and I believe the training they have received puts them in a better position to represent this country because they are the future of Nigeria.

In his remarks earlier at the event, the new Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Muhammad Hameen Nuhu Sunusi decried the declining standard of education in the country.

He noted that the recent ‘japa’ syndrome in the country is as a result of the poor management if Nigeria’s resources.

The emir added that the giving his track records, the Chairman, Pacesetters schools, Abuja, Imansuangbon would transform the education sector of Edo State when he becomes a governor.

Nigeria has paid AU 2023 financial obligations

Photo Credit: Pulse Nigeria

Nigeria has fulfilled its financial obligations to the African Union (AU) by making full payment of its assessed contributions for the year 2023.

The confirmation was made on Saturday by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Adamu Lamuwa, on the sidelines of the 43rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU in Nairobi, Kenya.

This is contained in a statement by Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of Press, State House on Saturday in Abuja.

Lamuwa explained that the payment demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment to its responsibilities as an AU member-state.

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