Today's Headlines: Why Tinubu Can’t Deploy Troops To Niger–SANs, Atiku Suffers Setback In US Court

Coup: Why President Tinubu can’t deploy troops to Niger – SANs

Photo Credit: Vanguard

Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, have adduced reasons why President Bola Tinubu cannot unilaterally deploy troops to Niger Republic to restore democratic rule in the troubled country.

In separate interviews with Vanguard, the learned silks maintained that for the armed forces of Nigeria to be deployed on a combat duty in Niger Republic, President Tinubu, must secure the approval of the National Assembly.

However, the senior lawyers pointed out that the only time the 1999 Constitution, as amended, permits the President to deploy soldiers to another country without prior approval of the legislative arm of the government, is when there is an imminent threat to national security.

In such situation, they stressed that the President, having deployed troops outside the shores of the country, must within seven days, seek approval of the National Assembly, which in turn must take 14 days to either okay or reject the military action.

According to Jacob Usman, SAN: “By Section 5 (4) (a) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the President cannot declare a state of war between Nigeria and any other country, except with the approval of both the House of Reps and the Senate, sitting in a joint session.

“What it means is that if there is any threat to Nigeria and the President is of the view that there is a need to declare a state of war between Nigeria and that country, he must seek the approval of the National Assembly, both the Senate and House of Reps in a joint session, not with each of them sitting independently.

Atiku suffers setback in US court

Photo Credit: The Nation Nigeria

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has suffered a legal blow in the United States where he had gone to seek information in his struggle for the seat of power.

His bid to subpoena the Chicago State University, United States ahead of the judgment of the Presidential Election Tribunal was rejected by a Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois County, United States.

The court dismissed the lawsuit filed by the PDP candidate to get access to President Bola Tinubu’s confidential educational records at Chicago State University.

Photo Credit: Google

Don’t Expect Any ‘Renewed Hope’ Under Tinubu – Funso Awe

Photo Credit: Independent Nigeria

Most Rev. Dr Funso Awe is the newly enthroned Presiding Archbishop of the Orthodox Anglican Church in Nigeria, and former governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in Lagos State. In this interview with EJIKEME OMENAZU, Dr Awe, the Vice Chairman, Civil Consciousness Global Initiative (CCGI), a body of leaders that advocate truth and righteousness in governance, speaks on President Bola Tinubu’s speech on fuel subsidy palliatives, among other crucial issues: Excerpt:

How do you see President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s address to Nigerians on the subsidy palliatives? Do you think his actions so far are far reaching enough to allete the sufferings of the masses occasioned by the petroleum subsidy removal?

It is a speech meant to address a lot of economic problems we are facing as a nation. But I always read in-between lines. it is faulty for the president to say that he sympathises with Nigerians on what we are passing through. Before you make a policy you are supposed to know what the effects will be. The Advisers are supposed to know. For any action, there is a reaction. If you know the outcome of any action, you are supposed to put in place certain mechanisms. I don’t say they should not remove subsidies. But, you have to put something in place before the removal. Now, it is like medicine after death, they said subsidy is a scam and we are subsidising fuel brought in, but found their way outside the country. People were coming up with claims not there. The government should plug these loopholes. We should have put our refineries in order. These refineries can be put in order within three and six months. If after that we remove subsidies and put in place some of these things he said, we would not have found ourselves where we are now. Tinubu’s speech is about medicine after death. It could be said it was due to the threat of Labour and fear of threat of people outside the government. When people are suffering, protests will come naturally because a hungry man is an angry man. When peaceful change does not take place, it makes violent change inevitable.

Don’t deploy troops in Niger, PDP tells Tinubu

Photo Credit: Punch paper

The Peoples Democratic Party has kicked against the plan by President Bola Tinubu to deploy troops in Niger Republic to flush out the military junta that overthrew the democratically elected civilian President in that country.

Rather, the main opposition party advised that all tools of dialogue and diplomacy should be further employed by stakeholders to resolve the crisis in Niger.

The PDP stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting of leaders of the party, led by its presidential candidate in the February general election, Atiku Abubakar, and governors elected on its platform on Saturday at the Bauchi Governor’s Lodge, Abuja.

The meeting, which was attended by the party’s vice-presidential candidate in the last election, Ifeanyi Okowa, and governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Kefas Agbu (Taraba) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), as well as the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja; and National Vice Chairman (South-South), Dan Orbih, among others, was called to deliberate on the state of the party.

How I handled my ministerial nomination withdrawal setback -Shetty

Photo Credit: Punch paper

Following the withdrawal of her name from the list of ministerial nominees by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, Kano State-born Dr Maryam Shetty has said her faith as a devout Muslim guided her understanding of the setback.

Shetty, in a statement on Saturday, attributed the setback to what she described as life’s ‘characteristic unpredictability’, adding that the unexpected development was the will of Almighty Allah.

She, however, noted that her nomination by the President brought her immense honour, adding that the move, despite being reversed, was a sign that Nigeria was ready to embrace a future where young women could hold positions of influence and power.

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