Today's Headlines: Tribunal To Adopt Ayade, Jarigbe’s Final Addresses Thursday; Labour Party: Alliance Possible, Not Merger – Tanko
Tribunal To Adopt Ayade, Jarigbe’s Final Addresses Thursday
The Cross River State Election Petitions Tribunal in Calabar has rescheduled the date for parties involved in the case between Senator Ben Ayade and Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe to adopt their final written addresses. Justice M. A. Sambo, leading the three-member panel, initially set yesterday for the adoption, but issues regarding the service of addresses by counsel to former Governor Ben Ayade were raised by the counsels to Jarigbe Agom, PDP, and INEC.
Due to an appeal by Innocent Ovat, the counsel for the third respondent (PDP), the tribunal moved the adoption of written addresses to Thursday this week. Ovat stated that he and his client (PDP) received an electronic copy of the petitioner’s address on Saturday night and a hard copy on Sunday evening. He emphasized their entitlement to three days to file a reply on points of law and requested the tribunal to grant this extension.
The counsel for the first respondent (INEC) expressed readiness for adoption and urged the petitioners not to impose a time limit on their reply. In response, the counsel for the second respondent (Jarigbe), Dr. I. Kanu Agabi, conveyed their readiness for presentation. Agabi explained that they intended to utilize the legal timeframe for reply and address potential grounds of appeal.
Mike Ozekhome, SAN, a counsel for the petitioner, objected to extending the adoption time, highlighting that the addresses might not warrant a reply to prevent an endless exchange on points of law. The tribunal emphasized its commitment to the schedule, setting the adoption of written addresses for August 24, 2023.
Labour Party: Alliance Possible, Not Merger – Tanko
Yunusa Tanko, the Chief Spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (LP-PCC), has dismissed the rumored merger between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP), and the LP, deeming it unattainable.
Tanko, a stalwart of the LP, conveyed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today yesterday, hours after news circulated about a potential merger involving the PDP, NNPP, and LP.
He explained that a merger implies that the parties would be officially recognized as one by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Tanko also disclosed that discussions regarding a possible merger were already in progress before the election.
He further stated that engaging with likeminded political parties that share the same ideology and principles is a positive step.
Peter Obi, LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has also indicated that reports of a merger are false.
Speaking at a massive rally in Edo State ahead of the local government elections in the region, Obi assured hundreds of party supporters that many of the rumors circulating are baseless.
Obi Advised To Open Alliance Talks With Tinubu Not Atiku, Kwankwaso
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, a prominent member of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has advised the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, against taking a secondary role. Isiguzoro suggests that instead of engaging with his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Obi should initiate discussions with President Bola Tinubu.
Isiguzoro cautioned that if Obi relegates himself to a secondary position in the future, he risks losing support from Nigerians. The Ohanaeze chieftain urged Obi to withdraw from the alliance talks if he continues to play a subordinate role.
In a statement authored by Isiguzoro emphasized that while the ongoing discussions between opposition political party leaders might be seen as a positive step, as it would compel the APC-led federal government to fulfill President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign promises to Nigerians, any detion from the expectations of the average Nigerians would be seen as the self-interested endeavors of desperate politicians, which are both cunning and ludicrous.
Isiguzoro further noted that Ohanaeze Ndigbo has detected the potential for the talks to falter, as Nigerians are unlikely to accept Atiku or Kwankwaso as the leader of the alliance.
Kogi Guber: APC Leaders Ask Adeyemi To Drop Case Against Ododo
Senator Smart Adeyemi, an aggrieved aspirant following the April 14, 2023 governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, faces pressure from party stalwarts to cease hostilities. The move follows the Appeal Court’s judgment in Abuja last Friday, dismissing appeals by Adeyemi and another aspirant, Abubakar Achimugu. They were seeking to invalidate the APC’s primary election that produced Usman Ododo as the party’s candidate for the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Prominent political figures within and outside Kogi State, aligned with the ruling party, reportedly convened with Adeyemi in Abuja to encourage reconciliation.
The APC national secretariat’s actions are part of renewed efforts to initiate effective public engagement and address areas of concern. These efforts aim to prevent disorganized campaigning leading up to the governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states, in order to secure the party’s victory in all three.
A source revealed that the new national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, is determined to address issues such as the court cases involving Senator Smart Adeyemi and another aggrieved aspirant, Abubakar Achimugu, in Kogi State.
Usman Ododo emerged as the victor of the direct primary election held across Kogi State on April 14, 2023. Patrick Obahiagbon, the secretary of the Kogi APC primary election committee, disclosed that Ododo secured 78,704 votes, winning by a significant margin over six other contestants, including Adeyemi, who received 311 votes.
Despite this, Adeyemi and four other aspirants contended that no valid primaries occurred in the state. They maintained that the results released by the electoral committee merely allocated votes.
Adeyemi pursued the matter in the Federal High Court in Abuja, asserting that the primary election, which led to Ododo’s selection, violated Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Sections 29 and 84 of the Electoral Act, along with Article 20 of the APC constitution.
However, on August 18, the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, delivered on July 12. The judgment stated that the appellants failed to substantiate their claims that Ododo’s nomination by the APC was unlawful.
Reportedly, the current efforts to reconcile Adeyemi and Ododo were sparked by Adeyemi’s refusal to acquiesce, even after the appellate court’s decision. Allegedly, he instructed his lawyers to proceed to the Supreme Court.
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