Politics

Ohanaeze appeals to President Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu before leaving office

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The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has once again called on President Muhammadu Buhari to release the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.

The president of the apex Igbo socio-political group, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, made the call at the flag-off of the pre-dredging and hydrographic survey of the proposed sea access route of the Urashi-Oguta waterways through Degema to the Atlantic Ocean.

While speaking at the ceremony which was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Iwuanyawu said;

“Please, finally, our vice president, tell our brother and son, Buhari, that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo – the over 60 million Igbos – request that he should release Nnamdi Kanu

”According to him, President Buhari should do it “before he departs” office on May 29th, 2023, noting that the Igbo nation will be “very grateful” if that is done. He seized the opportunity to dismiss claims that the Igbos were eager to break away from Nigeria.

“Igbos are not seceding. I don’t see why anybody will say Igbos are seceding. Igbos are everywhere. We have investments. Are we going to leave our investments?” he asked Chief Iwuanyanwu also lauded Buhari for his love for the South-East which is reflected in the number of Federal Government projects in the region.

“I would like the vice president, when you go, tell Buhari we are very grateful. When he took office we were not happy, we complained. But today, at the point of departure, things have changed.

I can see that in most states a lot has been done. Here in Imo state, a lot has been done for us. So, I would like you to tell our son, Buhari, that we are very grateful. And I want Buhari to realize that he is an Igbo son, an honorary Igbo man.He has been honoured by some Igbo states. I think Imo State has honoured him, and Ebonyi has honoured him.

Chieftancy title in Igbo land is taken very seriously. You have to help us tell Buhari that he is an Igbo son, he is a member of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo by this honour given to him and what I am speaking here today, I am also speaking on his behalf.We are very grateful for what he has done, but before he goes, whatever he can do to bring this project to succeed will be highly appreciated.” he said

Politics

President-elect Bola Tinubu departs Nigeria for Europe on working visit 19 days to inauguration

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President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday afternoon, May 10, left Nigeria for Europe on a working visit.

A statement released by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, says Tinubu will use the opportunity of the trip to fine-tune the transition plans, programs, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions.

‘’During the visit, the President-elect will engage with investors and other key allies with the goal of marketing investment opportunities in the country and his administration’s readiness to enable a business-friendly climate through policies and regulations.

Already, meetings with multi-sectoral actors in Europe’s business community including manufacturing, agriculture, tech and energy have been lined up.

Asíwájú Tinubu hopes to convince them of Nigeria’s readiness to do business under his leadership through mutually-beneficial partnerships premised on jobs creation and skills acquisition.

Reviving the country’s economy forms a major plank of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and the meeting is part of his efforts to re-establish Nigeria’s importance in the global economic chain and create empowering opportunities for the country’s huge youth population.

”Rahman said Rahman added that the President-elect has hitherto promised to hit the ground running and the visit is reflective of his commitment to the promise as he has already begun talks with global actors in the important areas of the economy and security.

‘’Before he left the country, Asíwájú Tinubu met with the House of Representatives candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker endorsed by his party, the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who were presented to him by Joint Task Team of the House. He is scheduled to return shortly for preparations towards his official swearing in as the 16th President of the country on May 29, 2023.” the statement in part read

Politics

President Buhari writes Senate, requests $800m World bank loan

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President Buhari has sent a letter to the Senate seeking approval to take a loan of $800 million from the World Bank to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.

Recall that in April, the Federal Government announced that as part of its subsidy palliative measures, it has received an $800 million World Bank grant targeting 50 million vulnerable Nigerians or 10 million households.

The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed this, said the disbursement of the grant is in light of the planned subsidy removal in June 2023.

Ahmed added that engagements are ongoing with the newly established Presidential Transition Council (PTC) and the incoming administration, to drive the palliative program, which includes the need for buses among various considerations.

Politics

Aisha Buhari takes incoming first lady Tinubu on Presidential Villa tour

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First lady Aisha Buhari on Tuesday took incoming first lady Oluremi Tinubu round some strategic areas of the official residence of the Presidential family in the Aso Rock Villa.

Mrs Buhari, who received Tinubu, explained that the Glass House in the villa is a transitional home of the first family.

She said the glass house is meant for presidents during the transition.

During the tour, journalists were not allowed access to some parts of the building.

Mrs Buhari said,

“The highly secured residential area of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria is strictly to serve as an accommodation for the president and members of the family.”

She also explained that the Glass House is a transit accommodation for outgoing presidents to pave the way for necessary renovations on the main house for the incoming president and his family.

Mrs Tinubu expressed appreciation to the first lady for the warm reception accorded her.

She promised to work tirelessly for the benefit of all Nigerians.

President Muhammadu Buhari will hand over leadership to President-elect Bola Tinubu on May 29.

Business, Politics

Buhari regime and CBN are responsible for passport scarcity- NIS

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has blamed the scarcity of passport booklets on President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s policy on forex.

The NIS comptroller-general, Idris Jere, disclosed this at a public hearing organised by an ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives in Abuja.

“Foreign exchange regulation policy of the government and CBN’s refusal to grant access to forex for importation of the passport booklets. We generate forex from sale of passport but we do not have access to buy the same booklet and that is a challenge for NIS,” explained the NIS chief.

He added;

“The factors responsible for scarcity of passport include the inability to set up passport-producing factory in Nigeria as its production is done abroad. The major seven components used for producing passports are sold in international market and the assemblage and production are done in Malaysia.”

Mr Jere explained that Irris Smart Technology Ltd, the foreign company responsible for producing the Nigerian passport, had done well given the prevailing circumstances, noting that the presidential directive to commence the production of passports locally by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) was a welcome development.

He, however, recommended that a proper exit plan be implemented for a smooth handover from the foreign firm to prevent any breach of contract and production process.

Irris Smart managing director Yinker Fisher said before the advent of the e-passport system, the Nigerian passport was marred with embarrassing irregularities and inconsistency under the watch of NSPM.

According to him, due to a lack of capacity, NSPM outsourced the process to three companies, leading to many irregularities, including passport colour and numbers.

Politics

Supreme Court affirms Ademola Adeleke as Osun governor

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The Supreme Court has affirmed Senator Ademola Adeleke as the validly elected governor of Osun, putting to rest months-long legal battle between him and ex-Governor Gboyega Oyetola.

In the lead judgment prepared and delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, a member of the five-man panel that presided over the case, the court held that the appellants, Mr Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC), did not produce a concrete evidence to support their claims of over voting and improper accreditation of voters.

Mr Agim held that the evidence submitted by the appellant which did not include the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines of the 744 poling units in dispute, could not be relied upon as the primary source of records for the accredited voters in the polling units.

Failing to provide the authentic voter accreditation records from the BVAS implied that the appellants relied on a secondary, insufficient and inadmissible means to prove their allegations.

The court also ruled that the expert analysis presented by the APC and Mr Oyetola was not independent as the expert in question was a member of the APC and an associate of Mr Oyetola who had a vested interest in his analysis, affirming that the appellant failed to prove grounds of their petition.

“The appellant case clearly collapsed at the conclusion of evidence,” Mr Agim said.

Mr Oyetola had sought relief at the apex court following the Appeal Court’s upturning of his victory at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which affirmed Mr Adeleke as the validly elected governor.

Politics

Presidential election tribunal begins hearing today

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Barring any last-minute changes, the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) will today May 8 commence hearing the petitions challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the president-elect.

Recall that on March 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, declared Tinubu the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

This declaration has however been rejected by two of the contending Presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

In separate petitions, Obi and Atiku they asked the tribunal to grant orders to annul the election or declare them the winners of the polls.

In a 66-page petition, Atiku urged the court to cancel the election and order a fresh election due to alleged irregularities that marred the February 25 polls in thousands of polling units.

In the petition filed by his legal team led by Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN), the former Vice President argued that as of March 1 when Tinubu was declared the winner of the election, the entire results and accreditation data from polling units had not been transmitted and uploaded by INEC.

On his part, Obi, in his petition, argued that the election was characterized by various irregularities, citing also the alleged non-qualification of Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, to contest the election.

He also alleged that Tinubu failed to win a majority of lawful votes and also one-quarter of lawful votes cast in the FCT.

He equally alleged that the election was largely conducted without complying with the provision of the law.

Politics

Peter Obi visits Wole Soyinka

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The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Sunday, May 7, paid a courtesy visit to the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka.

The visit comes weeks after Soyinka clashed with Obidients, a nickname for the supporters of Peter Obi.

Recall that Soyinka received heat from Obidients after he accused them of Fascism, adding that they don’t ‘entertain corrective criticism’.

He also stated that he warned Obi that his supporters may cost him the election.

He further incurred the wrath of the Obideint movement after publishing an article in which he described the ‘Obidients’ as one of the ‘’most repulsive, off-putting concoctions I ever encountered in any political arena”

Putting aside the political issues, Obi paid Soyinka a courtesy visit on Sunday. Posting photos from the visit online, Obi wrote;

‘’Today, I visited one of Nigeria’s most revered figures and an international literary icon, Prof Wole Soyinka. Prof Soyinka has been a father whom I hold in very high esteem for what he has achieved and stands for in the struggle for a better Nigeria. His reputation as a fighter for justice and equity in our society has been legendary and we will NEVER ignore them. I had a very useful and enriching discussion about his aspirations for a better and greater Nigeria, and he shared a lot with me about his dream for a greater and more inclusive Nigeria. I reminded the Nobel laureate of the huge price he paid just before the outbreak of the civil war, fighting for the cause of the Igbos. I cherished this Sunday’s visit which was intended to erase the needless misconceptions about the relationship between the great icon and the OBIdient family.”

Politics

In London, Buhari restates satisfaction with outcome of 2023 election

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President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated his satisfaction with the conduct of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria before some Commonwealth leaders.

He based his happiness on the turnout of voters and the generally peaceful atmosphere under which it took place.

Addressing colleagues at the Commonwealth Leaders Summit on Friday in London, the Nigerian president said the country learnt lessons which would make subsequent polls even better.

His media adviser Femi Adesina released a statement detailing Mr Buhari’s submissions at the London summit.

Many world leaders are currently in the United Kingdom to witness the coronation of His Majesty, King Charles III as King of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Commonwealth.

“These elections saw a remarkable turnout of voters and proof that Nigeria’s democracy is maturing,” Mr Buhari said.

“Despite some pockets of violence, we have demonstrated that a government can be elected peacefully and fairly.”

He said further,

“Lessons have been learnt and moving forward, we hope to perform even better.

“Based on this, I am delighted to note that we have taken another step towards deepening our democracy with peaceful, transparent and credible outcomes.

“Though we are aware that challenges still exist, we are committed to working towards a greater participation of all Nigerians in the democratic process, including those in the diaspora.”

The Nigerian leader noted that the Commonwealth sent a team to witness the conduct of the elections, adding that the elections were generally free and fair.

According to him, the mood of the nation after the announcement of the winners so far shows that democracy in Nigeria is maturing and can only get better.

Mr Buhari highlighted the key role Nigerian youths played during the elections as well as in support of national development. He attributed a great part of the youth participation in the general elections to the assent of ‘Not Too Young To Run’ Bill signed into law by his administration in 2018.

He announced that Nigeria would also host the Commonwealth Youth and Students Summit for African Region, with the theme, ‘Making Change Happen’, in Abuja from May 9-11, this year.

The Nigerian leader used the opportunity to bid farewell to his colleagues, expressing joy at shared aspirations and values within the period.

Politics

Buhari sends list of NEDC governing board nominees to Senate for confirmation

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President Muhammadu Buhari has sent the names of nominees for the governing board of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to the Senate for confirmation.

Garba Shehu, the president’s spokesman, said the request is contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Ahmed Lawan dated May 3.

“In accordance with the provision of Part 1, section 2(5)(b) of the North East Development Commission Establishment Act, 2017, I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of 12 nominees as tabulated below, in the Governing Board of the North East Development Commission.

“The Senate is invited to note that the tenure of the current Governing Board of the North East Development Commission will end on 7th May, 2023,” the president said in the letter.

The nominees include: Bashir Bukar Baale, Chairman, (North East, Yobe); Suwaiba Idris Baba, Executive Director, Humanitarian Affairs, (North East, Taraba); Musa Yashi, Executive Director, Administration and Finance, (North East, Bauchi) and Dr Ismaila Maksha, Executive Director, Operations (North East, Adamawa).

Others are: Umar Hashidu, MD/CEO, (North East, Gombe); Grema Ali, member, (North East, Borno); Onyeka Gospel-Tony, member (South East); Hailmary Ogolo Aipoh, member (South-South) and retired Air Commodore Babatunde Akanbi, member (South West).

Other nominees include, Mustapha Ahmed Ibrahim, member, (North West); Hadiza Maina, member, (North Central) and a representative from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

Mr Shehu quoted the president as expressing hope that his request “will receive the usual expeditious consideration and confirmation of the Senate.”

Politics

I’ll govern Nigeria like Yar’Adua-President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu

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President-elect Bola Tinubu says he will follow the good examples of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s when he assumes office from May 29.

Mr Tinubu, in a tribute to commemorate the 13th year of the former president’s demise, described the late president as a “friend and political associate” who Nigeria will never forget.

“May 5, 2010 may have long gone but, for some of us, the wound is still fresh. We remember the day as much as we remember the purposeful life lived by Mallam Umaru Yar’Adua.

“As I prepare to take the reins of leadership of this country on May 29, I am determined to follow the good examples set by leaders like Mallam Umaru Yar’Adua who showcased exceptional sense of propriety and selfless service to our dear country,” Mr Tinubu said.

“Rest on, dear brother. May your soul continue to find peace with your Maker, ameen”.

Mr Yar’Adua, a former Katsina governor between 1999 to 2007, succeeded former president Olusegun Obasanjo in office in May 2007.

His reign was cut short after he died in a Saudi Arabia hospital in May 2010. He had spent many months treating undisclosed hailment before his shocking demise.

Brought in via an election which he admitted was “flawed”, Mr Yar’Adua was hailed for initiating reforms in the electoral process.

He also saw to the dousing of the then-raging Niger Delta agitation which crippled the oil sector, the nation’s top earner.

Lifestyle, Politics

Fire guts EFCC office in Enugu

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A building belonging to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Enugu has been gutted by fire.

EFCC Head of Media, Wilson Uwujaren who confirmed this in a statement issued on Friday afternoon, May 5, said one of the buildings within the Zonal Command was consumed by the inferno. No life was lost during the incident.

Uwajuren said;

“The incident which occurred at about 12.30 am Friday, was triggered by a surge in public power supply.

“The ensuing inferno was later put out through the combined efforts of the Enugu State and Federal Fire Service.”

Politics

Adamawa REC granted bail

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Suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hudu Yunusa-Ari has been granted bail after coming under a police investigation for declaring Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress as winner of the governorship election of the state before the conclusion of the collation of results.

He was allowed to go home alongside two other Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commissioners and another official who are also being interrogated.

Their release on administrative bail came with some conditions which include depositing their passports and restricting their movement within the Federal Capital Territory.

A senator reportedly stood as surety for Yunusa-Ari after he was interrogated for three days while in custody of the police.

The Nation reported that the Inspector-General of Police Alkali Baba personally interrogated the REC, the national commissioners and the others.

During the session, Yunusa-Ari, according to sources exchanged words with the INEC commissioners over claim that he fled and was incommunicado.

The interrogation session dwelt on allegations of bribing during the Aril 15 Supplementary election after which REC declared All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Ayisetu Dahiru Binani as governor-elect, which collation of results was going on in usurpation of the Returning Officer’s role.

A source told the publication;

“Our investigators have interacted with the REC, some INEC National Commissioners and other officials undergoing interrogation. We have asked the affected officials to submit their traveling documents.

“The REC promised to drop his passport at the Force Headquarters yesterday. And if it is necessary to arraign any of the officials after the conclusion of the ongoing investigation, it will be easier.

“In line with the law and international best practices, the police have granted bail to the REC, the National Commissioners and all officials under investigation. They have been released accordingly. The bail surety for the REC is a Senator.

“But all those quizzed got an advisory to limit their media visibility for unfettered investigation. With the involvement of the IGP and his management team, you can determine the commitment attached to this case. Granting bail will not hamper investigation.

“There were allegations and counter-allegations on nocturnal meetings, choice dinner and bribery scandal during the elections. Detectives will look into this dimension of influence peddling and bribery. The scope of investigation will be widened.“

Politics

We’ll make corruption unattractive, Tinubu assures Nigerians

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President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has said his incoming administration will put incentives and policies in place that will make corruption unattractive for judges and other Nigerian workers.

A statement by the Office of the President-elect signed by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz on Thursday quoted Mr Tinubu as making the pledge in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the inauguration of the Magistrates Court complex.

The event was part of Mr Tinubu’s two-day visit to the state to inaugurate projects executed by the Nyesom Wike administration.

Mr Tinubu said with the right incentives that guarantee a conducive working atmosphere and policies that make it easy for workers to acquire credit facilities for essential needs the temptation for corruption would reduce.

“You don’t expect your judges to live in squalor, to operate in squalor and dispense justice in squalor. This is part of the changes that are necessary. We must fight corruption but we must definitely look at the other side of the coin.

“If you don’t want your judges to be corrupt you got to pay attention to their welfare. You don’t want them to operate in hazardous conditions,” he said.

The president-elect said lack of consumer credit which could make it easy for workers to acquire property such as houses and cars makes them susceptible to corruption.

“If you have consumer credit that will reduce the propensity for corruption. We don’t want our judges to play foul, to compromise justice. I promise we are going to review all of these in a policy think tank.”

Mr Tinubu also reiterated his commitment to the unity of Nigeria promising to be fair to all.

“The unity of this country is not negotiable. That is what Wike and I are promoting jointly. I promise I will be fair to all.”

Earlier, Governor Wike said the complex contained 24 courtrooms, offices and other facilities meant to decongest the state high court complex and expand access to justice.

He said his administration consider the welfare of judges and condition of courts essential for speedy justice dispensation.

Mr Wike charged the state Judiciary to ensure proper maintenance of the edifice for which financial provision had been made.

He once again thanked the President-elect for accepting to visit the state and commission the projects.

Politics

Governor Buni approves N765 million final payment for projects in 17 LGAs

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Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe has approved N765 million as final payment for work-plan-based projects across the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Malam Ali Mustapha, disclosed this in a statement signed by Mr Alhassan Mamudo, the Information Officer of the ministry on Thursday in Damaturu.

He said that Mr Buni had approved the release of the money amounting to 40 per cent being the remaining balance.

Mr Mustapha said that the payment was done after 60 per cent completion of the work in the 2022 work and action plan.

The permanent secretary said that the total cost of the projects was N1.7 billion, adding that 60 per cent had since been paid.

He said that the projects are: Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), agricultural activities and health care services, among others.

“This was done after the committee on Local Governments’ budget for the year 2023 scrutinised and prioritised various developmental projects across the LGAs.

“While thanking the governor for graciously approving the fund, we are assuring that the ministry will monitor and supervise all the projects.

“This is to ensure the execution of qualitative projects as well as have value for money on the projects under reference,” he said.

Politics

EFCC and ICPC ask court to dismiss Keyamo’s suit seeking Atiku’s probe

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) have approached a federal high court in Abuja to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour, seeking the probe and prosecution of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Keyamo had filed a lawsuit seeking a court order for the law enforcement agencies to arrest the former vice president following an audio recording released by Michael Achimugu, Atiku’s former aide.

Achimugu had claimed that Atiku used shell organizations to divert public funds. However, ICPC and EFCC’s lawyers faulted the competence of the suit and prayed the court for its dismissal on grounds of not meeting the requirements of the law.

They argued that Keyamo should have first obtained the leave of the court in seeking to compel an agency of the government to act.

Atiku Abubakar’s lawyer who was also in court, faulted the competence of the suit and accused Keyamo of engaging in abuse of office.

Benson Igbanoi asked the court to decline jurisdiction among other grounds, that no cause of action was disclosed by the plaintiff. O. C. Uju, Keyamo’s lawyer, asked the court to dismiss the objections raised by the defendants and proceed to hear the case on merit.

Justice James Omotosho who presided over the case, adjourned till June 5 for ruling on the preliminary objections.

Politics

Presidential election tribunal commences hearing on May 8

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The Presidential Election Petitions Court has slated Monday, May 8, for the hearing of the petitions challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the President-elect.

This means the legal battle by candidates disputing the announced results would resume on that date.

According to Tinubu’s legal team, Monday’s hearing is a pre-hearing session. The hearing was set aside to cross-check if there are any applications before the main hearing will start.

The timetable for the hearing of substantive matters will be set after the pre-hearing.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, on March 1, declared Mr Tinubu the president-elect after his party scored the highest number of votes in the February 25th polls.

He had polled 8.8 million votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 6.9 million, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) who amassed 6.1 million, and 15 others.

Messrs Atiku and Obi have both disputed the results and filed separate petitions seeking orders to annul the election or declare them the winners of the polls.

Mr Atiku urged the court to cancel the election and order a fresh election due to alleged irregularities that marred the February 25 polls in thousands of polling units.

Mr Atiku and the PDP argued that as of March 1, when Mr Tinubu was declared the winner of the election, the entire results and accreditation data from polling units had not been transmitted and uploaded by INEC.

Peter Obi, in his petition, argued that the election was characterised by various irregularities, including the non-qualification of Mr Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, to contest the election.

He also alleged that Mr Tinubu failed to win a majority of lawful votes and also one-quarter of lawful votes cast in the FCT.

The tribunal stopped receiving replies from the petitioners on April 23.

Politics

President-elect Tinubu urged to focus on electricity

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Association of Rural Electrification Contractors of Nigeria (ARECON) has urged President-elect Bola Tinubu to pay extra attention to electricity projects and challenges confronting the sector.

The association made the plea in a statement signed by ARECON’s spokesman, Rotimi Raheem, on Wednesday.

Mr Raheem dismissed reports of alleged misconduct of the managing director of Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Ahmad-Salihijo Ahmad, adding that allegations of conflict of interest were false.

He said since 2020, ARECON, under its present leadership, had approached the business of electrification differently through a five-year strategy document that had strengthened the internal working of REA.

Mr Raheem said ARECON had consistently been improving REA project delivery vehicles, saying that the agency was established to align with the federal government’s objectives on project delivery.

According to him, ARECON has consistently delivered to REA clean and sustainable energy infrastructure nationwide under the power ministry.

He said allegations of fraud and conflict of interest had recently been recounted against Mr Ahmad.

According to him, ARECON described these attempts as ploys by detractors to tarnish the image of the MD of REA.

He explained that the REA boss had also described as untrue and defamatory a petition written against him to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) by Donnington Nigeria Limited, accusing the REA chief of holding the position of a director in Velocity Logistics and Marine Services Ltd while equally serving as MD/CEO of the agency.

Mr Raheem said in 2022, REA officially hit and crossed the one million connection milestone by deploying a standalone solar home system for improved energy access across Nigeria.

He said the objective of SHS for households and MSMEs component of the Nigeria Economy Power (NEP) was to help millions of households and MSMEs access better energy services at affordable cost.

“The target beneficiaries are people in off-grid locations or underserved customers that have inefficient and unreliable energy access.

ARECON also believes that for the tempo to be sustained in the realisation of sustainable electricity across Nigeria, as REA continues its vision and mandate of universal access to affordable electricity, it is imperative for paid elements to abstain from false allegations against the MD of REA,” stated Mr Raheem.

Politics

APC dissociates self from Tinubu’s visit to Rivers

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has dissociated itself from the planned visit of President-Elect, Bola Tinubu to the state today May 3.

The state governor, Nyesom WIke on Tuesday, May 2, declared a public holiday in the state to give the residents of the state the opportunity to give Tinubu a rousing welcome.

In a statement on Tuesday, May 2, the spokesperson of APC in the state, Darlington Nwauju, described the visit as private and on the invitation of Governor Wike.

He added that the visit has nothing to do with the APC in the state.

“We challenge the Governor being an outgoing governor (Mr Wike) to play less divisive politics and exercise restraint in planting seeds of discord amongst opposition political parties.

We are aware that the governor has been working so hard to paint a false perception of the collapse of the APC structure in Rivers State even when he had in previous well-documented interviews vowed never to have anything to do with a “cancer party (APC),” Nwauju said Governor Wike who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), fell out with leaders of his party and has been very cordial with Tinubu.

Politics

Nigeria worse off not having Osinbajo as president– Sanusi Lamido

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Former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, says Nigeria is worse off not having the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo as the President of the country.

Sanusi stated this while speaking at a book launch titled:

“Osinbajo Strides: Defining Moments of an Innovative Leader,” on Monday, May 1.

According to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigeria lost by not electing Osinbajo as its president and that failure of the political system to throw him up as president has made Nigeria worse off.

“And I dare say, we all agree that Nigeria is worse off for not having someone like him (Osinbajo) as president, but I do hope that he will be available to serve and to advise and to put in his best for the country and continue to do. So I’m sure he will, in whatever capacity he finds himself in the future, and maybe we’ll still be lucky to have him lead us at some point or take some leadership role as a statesman,” Sanusi said.

Recall that Osinbajo contested for the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential primaries in June 2022 against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; among others.

He however lost to Tinubu who emerged the party’s flagbearer and won the February 25th presidential election.

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