Atiku’s Witness Confesses He Never Saw INEC Server; 62 Witnesses Testified Instead Of 400

July 19, 2019

Osita Chidoka, who appeared as the chief witness for the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has confessed before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that he had never seen the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) server.

This was even as the PDP and Atiku ended their testimony today, July 19 with only 62 witnesses appearing in the Tribunal to testify, as against the party’s promise to present 400 witnesses.

Former Aviation Minister under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan administration, Osita Chidoka, on Friday

Chidoka served as Aviation minister in the regime of President Goodluck Jonathan, testified as the petitioners’ 62nd and last witness at the tribunal. He served as the PDP’s collation agent at the National Collation Centre for the February 23, 2019 presidential election.

In his evidence, Chidoka told the tribunal that INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had consistently told them about the server and also acknowledged its existence during the collation of the presidential election

He said that he served as the head of the PDP’s situation room in Abuja where he was during the election receiving reports from party’s agent.

Under cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, Yunus Usman (SAN), Chidoka said: “I have not seen the server but INEC consistently told us of the server and the INEC Chairman at the national collation of results of the election acknowledged the existence of the server.”

He acknowledged that the collation was done manually.

In his testimony, the petitioners’ 60th witness, Joseph Gbenga, an expert witness admitted before the tribunal that he had not been certified.

Gbenga, an Industrial Chemistry graduate from the University of Ilorin, described himself as a database analyst and designer who was engaged by the petitioners to analyse the results of the presidential poll in 11 out of the 36 states of the federation.

But when asked under cross-examination by counsel for INEC, Usman (SAN), if he had been certified to carry out the type of job he did for the petitioners, Gbenga said: “I have undergone training but I have not been certified.”

He said under cross-examination that he carried out his analysis through the inspection of result sheets from 11 states.

The witness said that he could not get the certified true copies for Zamfara State, and had to rely on the pink duplicate copies.

He did not give the full list of the 11 states whose results he analysed even as he said that he was not mindful of whether the petitioners won or lost in the 11 states.

“I am not aware that the petitioners conceded defeat in eight of the 11 states.

“If I applied my mind to whether or not the petitioners won or lost, I would not be able to come up with a professional and an unbiased report.”

But it was the immediate-past Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, that threw the court into laughter while cracking jokes on the claim by the petitioners on alleged existence of INEC server.

Ngige who attended the proceedings of the tribunal for the second time had walked up to a group of SANs having a chat within the courtroom.

This was shortly after, the Justice Mohammed Garba-led tribunal of five judges went on break.

They were joined by the PDP’s Vice- Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who had succeeded Ngige as the governor of Anambra State.

After the exchange of greetings, Ngige held Obi by his hands and walked him up to where a heap of documents produced in court by INEC at the instance of the petitioners was lying.

On getting to the point, just some few steps from where they were standing, Ngige held Obi by the shoulder with one hand and lowered his other arm pointing to the heap of documents, and said, “These are from my server.”

The whole courtroom burst into laughter.

Obi, too could not hold back laughter as the ex-minister continued holding him by the shoulder, with both seeming to out laugh each other.

Meanwhile, the five-man tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Garba adjourned till July 29, for the 1st respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission to open its defence.

The PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Friday rested their case after calling only 62 out of the 400 they had proposed to call to prove their petition challenging President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the February 23, 2019 election.

The petitioners’ lawyer, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), announced the close of their case after the 62nd petitioners’ witness, Osita Chidoka, testified on Friday.

How Illicit Financial Outflows Encourage Terrorists, Criminals, Others – NIA Boss

Editorial staff

July 18, 2019

The Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar has said that apart from its direct harm to the economies of Africa, Illicit Financial Outflows have been responsible for facilitating clandestine financing of terrorist organizations, criminal ventures, and other subversive activities.

He said that Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) have been migrating into Africa to join other criminal networks engaged in all kinds of trafficking drugs and arms, kidnapping for ransom and banditry.

“They continuously seek out alternative funding for their despicable activities. These criminals have links with individuals and non-state actors around the world. All these activities threaten our fundamental existence and undermine our development efforts.”

Ambassador Ahmed Rufai spoke today, July 18, at the opening of the 16^th Conference of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services (CISSA) in Abuja, Nigeria.

The NIA Director General said that as a direct threat to internal stability, Illicit Financial Outflows allow unscrupulous individuals to amass fortunes, which are then used to undermine the state and its institutions, intimidate citizens, manipulate public opinion, create and sustain a never-ending cycle of violence driven by propaganda, hate speech and other divisive rhetoric. “Illicit outflows from Africa, therefore, constitute an existential threat to the continent, which no amount of foreign assistance can undo.”

Ambassador Ahmed Rufai said that putting an end to Illict Financial Outflows and several other security challenges is daunting, but that “it is a task that we can and must do. We are all aware of why CISSA came into being – to assist the African Union (AU) and its institutions in effectively addressing the security challenges confronting our continent.

The reason is as valid today as it was in 2004. 14. The Thabo MBEKI-led African Union High Level Panel on Ilicit Financial Flows from Africa commissioned in 2011, as well as the appointment in 2018 of President Muhammadu BUHARI by his counterparts to give impetus to the African Union’s fight against corruption, is an indication of a strong political commitment from our leaders to address these related challenges.

“Our organization, CISSA, is uniquely placed to strengthen and support this resolve, to serve as the nexus between information, solutions, actions and feedback. In this connection, I cannot overemphasize the importance of timely and robust intelligence support for policy formulation and decision making.

“The magnitude of the problem calls for stronger determination and cooperation among us as well as creative and new ideas in order to find innovative solutions to long-standing issues. “Towards this end, we need to streamline regional and continental collaboration as well as harness national strategies to combat trans-national problems.”

Kogi Gov Orders Full Payment Of Local Govt Workers

July 18, 2019

The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has ordered the payment of full salaries to the workers of local government areas in the state.

The state Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Alhaji Taufiq Isa, who spoke to news men yesterday, July 17, said that the governor had given the order since last week.

The local government workers in the state had on Tuesday issued a five-day ultimatum to the state government to comply with NFIU directives on payment of full salaries to local government workers.

Taufiq Isa said that the clarification became necessary in view of the rumour making the rounds that Administrators, Directors of Local Government and Treasurers had been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission for refusing to effect 100 percent salary payments against the directives of the Nigeria Financial Intelligent Units that local government workers salaries should be accorded top priority.

Taufiq Isa, who is also the administrator of Ijumu LGA, said ALGON was not aware of the invitation by the EFCC or the arrest of any official of the state and described the speculation as nothing but fallacy which should be disregarded.

He called on workers in the 21 local government areas to be patient as it was not possible for any director or treasurer to flout the order.

Make No Mistake About It, I’m Committed To Freedom Of Religion – President Buhari

Editorial staff

July 18, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has once more swore that he is committed to the freedom of religion in Nigeria.

He made it clear that apart from constitutional guarantee for the freedom of religion, he is personally committed to the idea of every citizen being free to practice any religion of his or her choice, saying that under no circumstance will any religion or faith be imposed on the nation.

President Buhari spoke through a statement by the senior special assistant on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement today, July 18, while congratulating Imam Abubakar Abdullahi of Nigeria, who received the International Religious Freedom Award conferred him by the U.S. Department of State.

The President said that Imam Abubakar well-deserved the honour, recalling that the recognition bestowed on the 83-year old Muslim cleric is towering and befitting for the patriot who risked his own life and that of his family on June 23, 2018 to save the lives of hundreds of Christians, fleeing from attacks by suspected bandits in Yelwan Gidin Akwati, Swei and Nghar villages in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

“Like Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said, on May 30, 2019 at the State House Abuja when he received the Imam, the Village Head, Damafulul Mangai; community leaders and a delegation from the US, UK and European Union, the cleric ‘‘has done so much to promote peace by his singular act than most politicians could do and deserve all the commendation and high honour.’’

President Buhari expressed delight that a Nigerian national has written his name in gold in the international arena and his deeds will resonate wherever and whenever there are discussions on religious tolerance, cordiality between Christians and Muslims in the country and around the world.

He recommended the sterling virtues of Imam Abdullahi to all clerics, in particular, and Nigerians in general.

I Can’t Tolerate Violence Against Women, Girls, FCT Permanent Secretary Warns

Editorial staff

July 18, 2019

The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Chinyeaka Ohaa has warned that he would not stand and watch any form of violence against women and girls, especially in the Federal Capital Territory.

Permanent Secretary, who spoke today, July 18 at the opening of a two-day inception workshop to launch the EU-UN joint Spotlight Initiative in the FCT, stressed that the worst form of violence is against the vulnerable in the society, especially women and girls.

“It is about time that we all woke up and not only speak against this unconscionable evil but also take concrete action against it. Keeping silent only emboldens the aggressors and perpetrates the circle of violence and repression.

“Negative social norms which condone or support violence against women and girls and harmful practices remain pervasive. These, he continued are characterized by child marriages, female genital mutilation and reproductive organ ailments such as VVF”.

Ohaa described the Spotlight Initiative as a new global multi -year initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, explaining that it was so named because “it brings focused attention to this issue and efforts to achieve gender equality and women empowerment.”

He said that the Initiative was timely and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that the six pilot states identified for the take-off of the programme in the six geopolitical zone and the FCT, is a welcome spread that would achieve a balanced intervention across the zones and thereafter replicated in all states of the federation.

The EU-UN Joint Spotlight Initiative, Sir Ohaa concluded will also, amongst other things, build on and scale up its efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls.

WHO Declares International Emergency On Ebola Outbreak

Editorial staff

July 18, 2019

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which surfaced in August 2018, is now an international emergency.

The declaration raises the outbreak’s visibility and public health officials towards galvanizing the international community to fight the spread of the frequently fatal disease.

“It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our effort,” said WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In a statement, the Director-General said: “We all owe it to (current) responders … to shoulder more of the burden.”

As of today, July 18, Ebola has infected more than 2,500 people in the DRC during the new outbreak, killing more than 1,650.

By calling the current situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, has placed it in a rare category that includes the 2009 flu pandemic, the Zika epidemic of 2016 and the 2-year Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa before it ended in 2016.

A woman who died of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have taken the deadly disease into Rwanda, according to a Ugandan Health Ministry report published by the World Health Organization today, July 18.

The woman, a fishmonger, according WHO, vomited multiple times at a market in Uganda on July 11 before dying of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo. The case raised the risk of the disease spreading in Uganda.

“Upon leaving Uganda, she is suspected to have gone to Goma in DRC and later to Gisenyi in Rwanda with unknown business interests,” the latest report said.

Rwanda has never had a recorded case of Ebola. There is currently no vaccine licensed to protect people from Ebola virus.

An experimental vaccine called rVSV-ZEBOV was found to be highly protective against the virus in a trial conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international partners in Guinea in 2015.

FDA licensure for the vaccine is expected in 2019.

Source: Per Second News.

I Won 2019 Presidential Poll By Referendum- HDP Candidate: Law Does Not Recognize It – Tribunal

Editorial staff

July 18, 2019

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has rejected a motion that sought to sack President Muhammadu Buhari and declare Chief Ambrose of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), who claimed to have won the election by referendum, as President.

Owuru, who was the presidential candidate of the HDP in the 2019 election, had in the motion dated June 17, ordered the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, to within 48 hours, swear him in to replace Buhari.

In the motion he predicated on eight grounds, Owuru, told the tribunal that he defeated Buhari with over 50 million votes in a Referendum he said was coordinated on February 16, by Citizen and Observer Networks.

He said that the Referendum took place after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), upon realizing that President Buhari would be defeated at the poll, unilaterally postponed the originally scheduled presidential election, to February 23.

In the application he entitled: “Notice of Intention to Contend,” Owuru insisted that he won the Referendum that held after INEC postponed the presidential poll without a cogent reason.

Aside from seeking to be sworn-in as President, Owuru prayed the tribunal to nullify the outcome of the February 23 presidential election that was declared in favour of President Buhari on the premise that it held in substantial non compliance with the Electoral Act.

Meanwhile, in ruling today, July 18, the Justice Garba-led panel dismissed the application which it described as “alien and extraneous” to all the laws in Nigeria.

The panel held that Owuru’s request was not supported by any provision of either Electoral Act or the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The tribunal said the jurisdiction conferred on it by section 239(1) (a) of the Constitution was limited to the determination of election of persons to the office of the President and Vice President, as court of first instance, saying it was not empowered to consider the issue relating to the purported Referendum.

It upheld preliminary objections President Buhari, INEC and the All Progressives Congress, filed to challenge the competence of the motion they argued was meaningless. Vanguard

House Of Reps Approve Buhari’s Request To Appoint 15 Special Advisers

Editorial staff

July 18, 2019

The House of Representatives has approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to appoint 15 Special Advisers in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

The approval followed a unanimous adoption of a motion by Garba Ado (APC-Kano) at plenary in Abuja today, July 18. The approval is in line with the provisions of Section 151 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The provision states that the President has the power to appoint any person as a Special Adviser to assist him in the performance of his functions.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the President, in a message to the House on July 9, requested approval to appoint 15 Special Advisers.

The House stated that the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to prescribe, by law or resolution, the number of such advisers and their remuneration and allowances.

The House would transmit the approval to the Senate for concurrence.

Buhari Laments $60 Billion Loss Annually By Africa Due To Illicit Financial Outflows

Greenbarge Reporters

July 18, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented the unlimited damage which illicit financial outflows have caused to the economy of the African countries.

He said: “estimates suggest that African countries lose over 60 billion US dollars annually due to illicit financial outflows, a staggering amount for a continent in dire need of development finance.”

President Buhari, in a key note address at the opening session of the 16^th Conference of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) in Abuja, today, July 18, said that a United Nations Report on “Illicit Financial Flows and the Problem of Net Resource Transfers from Africa: 1980-2009,” had corroborating the figure, by observed that during the period 1980 to 2009 between $1.2 trillion and $1.4 trillion was taken out of Africa.

“This figure is half of the current Gross Domestic Products of all the countries of Africa.”

The Nigerian leader regretted that criminals and their collaborators are cheating the system through various practices, which include trade mis-pricing, trade mis-invoicing, tax abuse and evasion, as well as money laundering.

“Several unfair commercial agreements and illegal resource extraction by multinational companies, in cahoots with their local collaborators, also create routes for illicit financial outflows.

He reminded the participants that terrorist networks, organized criminal syndicates of drugs, arms and human traffickers and sundry hostile non-state actors are actively undermining the security and stability of our countries.

Buhari noted that such criminal groups not only fund their operations from the proceeds of crime, but are implicated in much of the illicit financial outflows from Africa.

“Firm and unwavering action is required to bring this threat under control. Any evasion of rules and regulations in ways that aid corruption in its various manifestations, including illicit financial outflows, must be vigorously fought and defeated.”

President Buhari said that his role as African Union’s Anti-Corruption Champion had brought him closer to appreciating more the devastating impact of corruption and illicit financial outflows on the African continent.

“I am, therefore, pleased that this conference will boost the sense of urgency that we collectively have about this devastation and raise our response capacity at operational levels.

“In Nigeria, we have risen to the challenge. The fight against corruption remains at the core of our efforts to accelerate national development. We have recorded successes even though the perpetrators are not giving up and are trying to fight back.

”I would like to remind you that while the task you have set for yourselves at this Conference is laudable and essential to the future prosperity and stability of Africa, it is not an easy one. Success will require robust efforts and resolute commitment by individual services in order to lay the solid base for the collaborative efforts that are required to address this daunting challenge.”

Buhari advised the participants to develop a template of risk factors and actionable strategies to stem the flow of illicit funds from our continent; give priority to examining the links between crime and instability on our continent and propose measures to ensure that terrorists and criminals are denied access to our financial systems.

He also charged the committee, to remain steadfast as a model platform of cooperation, in words and deeds.

RUGA Settlements: Our Hope, Our Fear, By Gidado Yushau Shuaib

Greenbarge Reporters

July 18, 2019

Incontrovertibly, the recently suspended Ruga Settlement project was an initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. The rationale behind such project was to help eliminate the age-long practice of open grazing of cattle by Fulani pastoralists, which has been the cannon fodder for farmer/herder clashes.

Shortly after the announcement of the program, different shades of opinion sprout into the open, with some believing that it was a deliberate effort by Mr. President to favour his Fulani ethnic group. Just as others saw the move as leeway for the president to compensate the rampaging bandits or more commonly tagged as ‘Fulani herdsmen’, because he shares the same ethnic lineage with them.

These Fulani herdsmen are so criminalised to such an extent that the recent killing of Mrs. Olufunke Olakunrin, the daughter of Reuben Fasoranti, the leader of the Yoruba socio-political group was linked to them. Such development generated a lot of controversies across Nigerians with different persuasions. Colossal of these allegations was the one shared by the brother to the late Olafunke for claiming to have been reliably informed that attackers who shot his sister were Fulani herdsmen.

However, the police commissioner, on the other hand, had said that the attack was carried out by bandits who came to the road and fired sporadically at motorists. From the foregoing, Fulani ethnic group seems to have become an endangered species. Aside from the fact that most security challenges have been blamed on Fulanis, anytime a herd of cattle is sighted roaming the streets of our towns, the submission by many people, especially on social media, is that these people do what they do because their brother is the one at the helms of affairs.

What a blatant misrepresentation! As far as I am concerned, the people don’t give a hoot who the president is. They only are concerned about where to locate a greener pasture. If we must tell ourselves the truth, in as much as these people remain, wanderers, no amount of misrepresentation or stereotyping can change the lot of these Fulanis.

Truth be told, the Ruga settlement project is impressive but the mode of delivery and the time of the project was wrong. I mean, why should the government introduce such an impressive policy when the atmosphere is well charged with mutual suspicion, Fulaninisation and Islamisation agenda claims?

Similarly, failure on the part of the government to provide a holistic document to explain the Ruga policy and its benefit received a backlash. The denial by Professor Yemi Osinbajo, saying his office has absolutely nothing to do with the project, and is not under the supervision of his office, was also unwholesome.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Umar, had attempted to shed more light on the debacle, but it seems that these words have been falling on deaf ears. Mr Umar was quoted as saying: “It is one project that will help to take them away from our streets and stop them from wandering in the bush. And in the next five to ten years, you will never see a nomad moving about, wandering or kidnapping. And this will help to address some security challenges we are contending with now.”

The perm sec’s verbiage never dropped down before various socio-cultural groups started coming out to express their displeasure with the programme. They described the establishment of cattle-rearing settlements for herdsmen as a move to colonize the country.

Another reason why the Ruga kite did not fly is that the nation is now fragmented along ethno-religious lines, a situation which will make it difficult to build consensus around important things that matter for our socio-economic progress. Also, the realisation that the Ruga settlements will cater for the livelihood of herders, while neglecting farmers, who many believe are the main victims of the conflict between both groups, has also elicited scathing condemnations from the majority who unabashedly opposed the idea.

I think the call for the suspension of Ruga project stemmed from the age-long rivalry with farmers. While herders are feeling relieved from troubles of farmers, farmers are however feeling cheated by the program because they own the lands. As expected, Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue and Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba state were the first to reject the move for setting up Ruga settlement in their states. This stemmed from the fact that the indigenes of this states are predominantly farmers, who could not stand the sight of settler-herders in their states.

By and large, I want to believe that it is only an incurable optimist would have concluded that debates on the project will not assume a regional, religious and ethnic dimension, right from the outset. In the meantime, it behoves on the Federal Government to go back to the drawing board, re-strategize, brainstorm and redesign the sacred objectives they seek for the programme. They should be clear-cut visions, not ones that will be greeted again with an unmitigated uproar. Otherwise, the project will be dead on arrival whenever it is relaunched in the sooner or later future.

Gidado Yushau Shuaib, the editor of The News Digest, can be reached on giddyshuaib@gmail.com.

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