Politics

Today's Headlines: Trump Arrested in Election Case, Mug Shot Released; Tinubu Lauds Gov Zulum At 54

Trump Arrested in Election Case, Mug Shot Released

Former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, was arrested at a Georgia jail on Thursday on racketeering and conspiracy charges. He was released on a $200,000 bond after having a historic mug shot taken.

Accused of colluding with 18 other defendants to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia, Trump spent less than 30 minutes inside Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail before leaving in a motorcade for the airport.

Like the other defendants who have surrendered, the 77-year-old Trump had his mug shot taken during the booking process — a first for any serving or former US president.

In the photograph released by the sheriff’s office, he scowled at the camera while dressed in a dark blue suit, white shirt, and red tie.

Speaking to reporters after his arrest, Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said it was a “very sad day for America.” He stated, “What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. I did nothing wrong.”

Trump posted the mug shot on his own Truth Social platform with the caption “Election Interference” and a link to his campaign website.

A short while later, he also posted it on X — formerly Twitter, which was Trump’s favorite bullhorn until he was banned from it after the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

Trump was given the inmate number “PO1135809” by the Fulton County Jail, which listed his height as six feet three inches (1.9 meters), his weight as 215 pounds (97 kilograms), and his hair color as “Blond or Strawberry.”

The billionaire has been criminally indicted four times since April, setting the stage for a year of unprecedented drama as he tries to juggle multiple court appearances and another White House campaign.

Trump was able to dodge having a mug shot taken during his previous arrests this year: in New York on charges of paying hush money to a porn star, in Florida for mishandling top-secret government documents, and in Washington on charges of conspiring to upend his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

His arrest came one day after Trump spurned a televised debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring eight of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. All of them lag well behind him in the polls.

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He still stole the spotlight, though, with all but two of the candidates saying they would support him as the party’s nominee even if he were a convicted felon.

A tight security perimeter was set up for Trump’s booking at the Fulton County Jail, which is under investigation for a slew of inmate deaths and deplorable conditions.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who filed the sweeping racketeering case, had set a deadline of noon on Friday for Trump and the other 18 defendants to surrender. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered on Thursday and was released on a $100,000 bond.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer when he was in the White House and vigorously pushed the false claims that Trump had won the 2020 election, was booked and released on Wednesday.

John Eastman, a conservative lawyer accused of drawing up a scheme to submit a false slate of Trump electors to Congress from Georgia instead of the legitimate Biden ones, has also been booked and released.

A few dozen supporters of the former Republican president gathered outside the jail, including Sharon Anderson, who spent the night in her car.

Trump is the first US president in history to face criminal charges.

His various trials, if they take place next year, may coincide with the Republican presidential primary season, which begins in January, and the campaign for the November 2024 White House election.

Special counsel Jack Smith has proposed a January 2024 start date for Trump’s trial on charges of conspiring to overturn the last election with a lie-fueled campaign that culminated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.

Trump’s attorneys have countered with a suggested start date well after the election — April 2026.

Willis, the Georgia district attorney, initially proposed that the racketeering case begin in March next year, the same month Trump is scheduled to go on trial in New York on charges of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

On Thursday, after one of the defendants asked for a speedy trial, she proposed that it begin for all 19 in October of this year, a move met with an immediate objection from Trump’s lawyers.

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Tinubu Lauds Gov Zulum At 54

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, as he celebrates his 54th birthday on August 25, 2023.

In a statement released on Thursday by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu extended his warm wishes to the family, friends, and associates of the esteemed political leader. He praised Governor Zulum’s visionary and selfless dedication, which serves as an ongoing inspiration.

President Tinubu highlighted that the Borno State governor has redefined leadership within Nigeria by prioritizing the welfare and security of his constituents above all else. He acknowledged Zulum’s role in fostering renewed hope across different age groups, even as he undertakes the task of rebuilding institutions and infrastructure that have been ravaged by years of insurgency.

Furthermore, the president commended the governor’s courageous determination to bring about comprehensive change, a trait that has been evident since his time as an educator. Zulum has held numerous positions, including Deputy Dean and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Maiduguri, Rector of Ramat Polytechnic, and later, Commissioner of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement during the tenure of former Borno State governor Kashim Shettima, who currently holds the position of the nation’s vice President.

Another Appeal Court Affirms Apapa As LP National Chairman

The Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, has removed Julius Abure and recognized Lamido Apapa as the national chairman of the Labour Party. Additionally, the court has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly acknowledge and publish the names of governorship candidates endorsed by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states. The court also dismissed Senator Athan Achonu, the Imo State governorship candidate, and others affiliated with the Abure-led LP faction.

In April, Apapa had contested the validity of his suspension from the party, asserting that he continued to serve as the legitimate acting chairman. However, on August 14, a separate Court of Appeal in Benin City, Edo State, upheld Abure’s position as the national chairman of the Labour Party, as confirmed by a statement from the party’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh.

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Following the recent Appeal Court’s ruling that reaffirmed Lamidi Apapa’s status as the national chairman, the party has declared that its governorship candidates for the upcoming November 11, 2023 gubernatorial elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states remain valid. Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the factional publicity secretary, Arabambi Abayomi, expressed satisfaction with the Appeal Court’s decision, considering it a clear endorsement of their candidates’ standing.

Tribunal: Witnesses Allege Vote Reduction Against Gov Sule

Six respondent witnesses, all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), testified before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Lafia, Nasarawa State. They claimed that Governor Abdullahi Sule’s votes during the March 18 poll in Keffi and Awe local government areas were manipulated to favor an opposition candidate.

These witnesses alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) votes were inflated while those of the APC were decreased in the mentioned areas. The witnesses were presented as part of Governor Sule’s defense against the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, David Ombugadu, contesting Sule’s victory.

Witness number two, Isham Abubakar Dan’azumi, an APC polling unit agent, testified that scores for the APC were lowered and those for the PDP were raised in Wuse TV Centre Polling Unit 010. He confirmed discrepancies between polling unit and ward-level collation, where the APC’s votes were reduced from 353 to 193, and PDP’s votes were increased from 37 to 197.

Witness number three, Abdullahi Hashimu Danlami, noted irregularities in Kekura Primary School Polling Unit of Makungiji Electoral Ward. The scores were incorrectly recorded at the ward level, reducing APC’s votes from 238 to 159 and increasing PDP’s from 15 to 94.

Witnesses four through six, Abdullahi Tela Usman, Ahmad Abubakar Sarki, and Kasim Tanko Kasim, detailed similar scenarios where APC’s votes were altered downwards and PDP’s votes upwards in various polling units.

Abdullahi AlKasim, another witness, explained that APC’s scores were decreased and PDP’s increased in his polling unit.

Jibrin Samuel Okutepa (SAN), PDP’s lead counsel, requested Abdullahi Alkasim’s signature on a result sheet and applied to tender it as evidence.

The tribunal adjourned the hearing to Friday, August 25.

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