Today's Headlines: Rerun: We've Done Our Calculation Well, Tinubu Won’t Be On Ballot, LP Claims; 2023 Poll: We’ve Learned Lessons — Yakubu
We’ve Done Our Calculation Well, Tinubu Won’t Be On Ballot, LP Claims
Photo credit: Independent Nigeria
The Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation yesterday declared that with the damning evidence before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PREPEC) in Abuja against President Bola Tinubu, he would not participate in the rerun election should the poll be annulled.Also, the Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, said that there is palpable fear in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on the likelihood of the court upturning the election of President Tinubu.
Spokesperson and Head of Media of the organisation, Mr. Diran Onifade, told THISDAY yesterday that President Tinubu’s legal team did not only mislead him but also effortlessly tried to hoodwink the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-man panel.President Tinubu had last Tuesday appealed to the justices of the PREPEC to exclude the presidential candidate of the LP, Mr. Peter Obi, and his party in the event of any rerun presidential election, claiming that only he and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, are constitutionally qualified to recontest the rerun election.
Tinubu, through his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), and the counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had argued that should the justices of the court void the February 25, 2023, presidential election, Obi and his party should not be allowed to re-contest.Olanipekun had while arguing his final written address, declared that Obi should not be allowed to participate in the rerun election because he came third in the race.But the LP described the claim by Tinubu’s lawyers as an attempt to foist his position on the panel of justices, adding that if there would be any rerun, Tinubu would not be on the ballot based on the evidence before the PREPEC.
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2023 Poll: We’ve learned lessons — Yakubu
Photo credit: Vanguard
The National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has said lessons have been learned from the 2023 general elections and that there would be an improvement in the forthcoming circle elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states.
He added that the commission is satisfied with the feedback it got during the 2023 post-election review organized by the commission.
Speaking during the just concluded three-day review of the 2023 elections in Lagos, the INEC boss disclosed that most of the issues raised and recommendations made to improve the Nation’s elections would be tested in the coming elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa.
“We promised Nigerians that we were going to hold the election review meeting and conclude it within one month. We started on the 4th of July, and today is the 4th of August. The response has been overwhelming. Remember, we started with the state-level consultation with the RECs, we had an engagement with the transport unions, we then met with the State collation of the presidential election in Abuja, and then we had engagements with political parties and civil organizations, among others. So overall, we are encouraged by the response of stakeholders across the board and the quality of the contributions they have made.
Asked about the challenges that popped up during the review, he said, The number of challenges that came up, technology for voter accreditation, and result management, have been some of the issues raised, and recommendations made.
“The issue of electoral logistics, so that elections can start promptly, also includes the production and collection of Permanent voter Cards, PVCs, among others. We are harvesting all the issues and all the recommendations, and those that require administrative actions by the commission would be dealt with, but those that require amendment to the existing laws, be it the electoral act of 2022 or the constitution, we will harvest and approach the National Assembly for consideration. “
from Nigerians, and it will enable us to go back to the drawing board in our quest to continuously improve the electoral process.”
Niger: Think twice before threatening Nigeria – Fani-Kayode warns Mali, Burkina Faso
Photo credit: Daily Post
Former Minister of Ation, Femi Fani-Kayode has warned some countries, including Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso not to wake Nigeria’s sleeping sword lightly, insisting that they should think twice before threatening Nigeria with war.
Fani-Kayode claimed that the country almost singlehandedly confronted and contained ISWAP and Boko Haram and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, with its Eastern Security Network, ESN, noting that Nigeria still stands undeterred and strong.
The Ex-Minister said he frowns at videos of Nigerien, Burkinabe and Malian soldiers marching and chanting war songs against Nigeria while being applauded and egged on by ecstatic French-speaking crowds who reigned curses on the nation’s president.
In a lengthy post on his social media handle on Sunday, Fani-Kayode warned, “Before provoking our nation into armed conflict and threatening us with war our traducers should know we are a peace-loving people who are kind, compassionate, hard-working and accommodating.”
He also boasted that the size of the economy and GDP of all the countries in Africa ruled by military dictators put together, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sudan, Guinea and the Niger Republic are nowhere near that of Lagos State alone.
Part of his statement read: “They forget that we are a country that has almost singlehandedly confronted and contained the two most deadly terrorist organisations and armies in the world, ISWAP and Boko Haram, and a separatist movement known as IPOB with its own fledgling terrorist army known as the ESN and yet we still stand undeterred and strong.
“Such is the courage, strength, resilience, fighting spirit, foresight, fortitude and sense of patriotism of the Nigerian.
“Before you threaten us with war think twice, study our history and learn about who we are and what we are capable of doing.”
PEPC: PDP, LP petitions lack merit, poorly presented — SDP’s Adebayo
Photo credit: Nigerian Tribune
As Nigerians await the verdict of the Presidential Elections Tribunal Court on the February 25, 2023 presidential election, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Barr Adewole Adebayo, has described the petitions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, at the tribunal as lacking in merit and poorly presented.
To this end, Adebayo advised the petitioners and Nigerians to move on and begin in earnest preparations for the 2027 general election.
The petitions, according to him, are the easiest to dispense with by the tribunal judges since the return of democracy in 1999.
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