The Governor of Rivers State, on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nyesom Wike has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory at the presidential election petition tribunal.
The five-man panel of the tribunal had, today, September 11, dismissed the petition by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the outcome of the February 23 election. At the ruling which lasted over eight hours, chairman of the tribunal, Justice Mohammad Garba, dismissed all the petitions filed by the petitioners for failing to convince the tribunal in the reliefs they sought.
However, shortly after the tribunal’s verdict, Governor Wike, in a statement issued by his media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, advised President Buhari to use his victory to work for all Nigerians, “irrespective of their political leanings.”
Governor Wike called on the President to work towards the unity of the country, noting that the country is divided.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its first sitting today, September 11 since it was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari, approved about N189 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of various roads across the country. The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, who briefed news men shortly after the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that the first segment of the approval was for the extension of the Lagos-Badagry express road to Nigeria’s border with Benin Republic at the cost of N15.2 billion, NAN reports. The minister said: “we also approved the award of contracts for 14 road projects, they include the construction of two bridges at Kontagora-Rijau road at the cost of N1.12billion and construction of additional lane on Kano-Katsina road at the cost of N9.4 billion.” According to him, the construction of Kontagora-Bangi road in Niger state will cost N20.3 billion, with a completion period of 48 months while rehabilitation of outer Marina-Bonny Camp road and Eko bridge will cost N9.2 billion, with a completion period of 12 months. “Others include rehabilitation of Ibori-Idomi western road in Edo State at the cost of N4.5 billion with a construction period of 12 months; construction of Ilogu-Ireni road in Kwara and Osun states at the sum of N18.41billion,’’ he added. The minister said that the Council approved N2.5billion for the construction of Wudil bridge on Kano-Maiduguri road while N12.3billion was approved for the rehabilitation of Wukari-Ibi road in Taraba. He said that the council approved N10.6 billion for the construction of Baro Port road in Niger, N25billion for the rehabilitation of Ajingi-Kafin Hausa road in Jigawa while rehabilitation of Abba-Owerri road would cost N6.98 billion. According to the minister, the council approved N16.9 billion for the rehabilitation of Kaliyari-Damaturu road in Yobe; N17.3billion for the construction of Yaba-Yangoji road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and N12.7billion for the rehabilitation of two outstanding sections of Nnnewi-Okigwe road in Imo and Anambra. The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said that the Council approved the revised estimate total cost for the rehabilitation of Itakpe -Ajaokuta Rail line. He said that the contract was awarded at 122 million dollars but “we requested for a total of 56 million dollars additional works which were broken down into 38.8 million dollars additional works and 17.2 million dollars variation, now bringing the contract of Itakpe to Warri to a total of $178.7 million. “Then, we also requested for Lagos to Ibadan with extension to Lagos port complex in Apapa. “We asked for additional works for 374 million dollars with another variation of 282 million dollars totaling 656.8million dollars and added to 1.5 billion dollars that the contract was initially awarded for.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the petition of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against the electoral victory of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a barefaced subversion of justice.
In a statement reacting to the Tribunal judgment today, September 11, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that the judgment was provocative, barefaced subversion of justice and a direct assault on the integrity of the nation’s justice system.
He said that PDP was particularly shocked that the tribunal failed to point to justice despite, what he called, the flawless evidence laid before it, showing that Buhari was not only unqualified to contest the election but also did not score the majority of valid votes at the polls.
“PDP finds it as bewildering that a court of law could validate a clear case of perjury and declaration of false information in a sworn affidavit, as firmly established against President Muhammadu Buhari, even in the face of incontrovertible evidence.
“The party is also rudely shocked that the Court took over the roles of the Respondents’ lawyers who clearly abandoned their pleadings by refusing to call evidence in defense of the petition. The court raked up all manner of excuses to make up for the yawning gaps occasioned by the total absence of any evidence from the Respondents.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has floored the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar as the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal dismissed the petition he and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed challenging Buhari’s victory in the 2019 Presidential election. Justice Mohammed Garba, who led the five-man panel, in the lead judgement, dismissed the petition in its entirety and the parties are to bear their respective cost. “This petition is accordingly and hereby dismissed in its entirety.” However, four judges out of five agreed with the lead judgement.
Reacting immediately to the court verdict, President Buhari described it as a victory for Nigerians who trooped out to overwhelmingly elect him for a second term in office.
“Good conscience fears no evil report. I was unperturbed all along, because I knew Nigerians freely gave us the mandate. We are now vindicated,” the President said in a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina.
Adesina quoted the President as having dedicated the victory to God, and to Nigerians, even as he commended the judiciary for “dispensing justice without fear or favour.”
President Buhari extended a hand of fellowship to those who had felt aggrieved at the outcome of the election, and went to court, which he said is within their democratic rights.
“It is time for the country to move forward as one cohesive body, putting behind us all bickering and potential distractions over an election in which Nigerians spoke clearly and resoundingly.”
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has dismissed the petition by the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar that President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no educational qualification to contest the February 23 Presidential election.
In a judgment still ongoing (now, September 11), the Tribunal said that from all evidences before it, Buhari attended a secondary school in Katsina and obtained the equivalent of West African Examination Council (WAEC) in 1961 before he joined the Nigerian Army.
The Tribunal stressed that Buhari was not only qualified to contest the presidential election but eminently qualified to do so.
It also dismissed the issue of card reader which Atiku and PDP claimed was used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) used for the conduct of the election in contention.
President Muhammadu Buhari has decried what he calls the “undue politicization” of the security situation in Nigeria.
Speaking while receiving promoters of the proposed African Security Leadership Summit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, September 10, the President said that no matter how much the revisionists would want to distort history, “records show where we were in terms of security in 2015, where we are now, and we also know where we want to be.”
President Buhari said that the relative successes of the administration since 2015 are clear, and what remains in areas of security are also clear, despite the politicization.
He lauded the plan to convene a high-powered security summit that will bring together some of the leaders on the African continent, defence attaches, embassies and High Commissions, leadership of the defence community in the country, and many others.
The President said: “I am glad that you are well experienced, and know the implications of this high-powered conference. It will be a great test for you and members of your committee. You will be dealing with professionals in security, defence and diplomacy. We will do our best to support you.
The chairman of the security summit initiative under the auspices of Global Initiative for Leadership Success (GILS), His Royal Highness, retired Major-General Abdullahi Bagudu Mamman, said: “we share in the conviction of the administration to address the problems of the country.
“At assumption of office in 2015, parts of the country had been acquired by Boko Haram insurgents. Your seriousness and committed efforts have made us to now be able to worship in peace. Boko Haram has been truly degraded, and other forms of criminalities are being addressed.”
The royal father added that the summit, to hold possibly sometime in October, is being convoked “to involve the entire security architecture in Nigeria, and it will be under the theme, ‘Sustaining the Security Renaissance of Nigeria.’
The event will also feature honours and awards for those who have excelled in the area of security, “because we need to reward the commitment of our heroes.”
An endowment fund will also be launched to cater for families of those who pay the supreme price, and to care for those permanently maimed.
President Muhammadu Buhari has announced the death of Buhari Nalado Sandamu who he said served him and his family for more than 30 years.
President Buhari, in a statement by the senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, was reported to have said: “I have lost a good and honest caretaker.”
Buhari Nalado Sandamu, popularly known as “Commander” was said to have served the President loyally for over 30 years.
The President was further quoted as saying: “I have lost a prudent and a wonderful custodian who did so well taking care of my country home in Daura. May Allah bless his soul and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss, Ameen.”
The President sent a delegation to the family of the bereaved in Sandamu Local Government Area of Katsina State. The delegate is made up of Senior Special Assistant, Domestic and Household Matters, Sarki Abba, Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu and State House Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Lawal Kazaure as well as the President’s Housekeeper, Saleh Yuguda.
“Commander” died at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano yesterday, September 9.
I have pondered on Atiku Abubakar’s case against President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential election petition tribunal. I have also celebrated on the counter arguments of the president.
By my ratiocination, the arguments of both parties are nourished with so much ridiculousness that the case itself appeals more as comic relief.
The president underpropped his argument with the claim that Atiku is not a citizen of Nigeria by birth, and that he ‘’ought not to have even been allowed in the first place, to contest the election’’.
Truly, the Nigerian constitution prescribes citizenship by birth as a requisite for the office of the president. But where did President Buhari get the “genius” of his case from? From a man he sent pythons after in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia state.
Months before the election, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), actuated the controversy about the origins of the PDP presidential candidate.
Kanu claimed Atiku is a citizen of Cameroon and not of Nigeria, having had his place of nativity in a part of Adamawa that was a portion of northern Cameroon until the plebiscite of 1961 which wedded that area of Cameroon with Nigeria.
Atiku was born in Jeda in November 1946 before the matrimony. Buhari hung his case on this claim, and also argued that votes cast for Atiku were worthless.
In fact, Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president, who appeared before the tribunal, reinforced this claim.
Let me ask stupidly. Why did the president not hinge his case on the substance of Atiku’s petition, which is the outcome of the February election? Why did he underpin his argument on the claim of a fugitive?
I admit, Atiku’s “citizenship quandary” as it relates to the office of the president is a grey area in Nigerian law that the courts will have to interpret to enrich the jurisprudence.
But the bigger issue, I think, is still the substance of his petition. Did Buhari really defeat Atiku in the election?
Atiku also brought on an aspect of ludicrity in his argument with the claim on Buhari’s certificate. I think the president’s “missing certificate” slant he propagandised detracted from the meat of his case.
Let me ask stupidly. Besides the sensation of the president being un-certificated, how does the claim buttress his case?
Already, courts of different jurisdictions (high court and appeal court) have dismissed suits filed on this claim. Recently, the supreme court dismissed an appeal seeking the disqualification of Buhari on the grounds that he did not submit his academic credentials to INEC.
In fact, the constitution does not specify ”certificate” as a prerequisite for the office of the president.
Section 131 (d) of the constitution says: A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the president if – he has been ‘’educated’’ up to at least school certificate level or its ‘’equivalent.”
The ringtone here is “educated.” Education is beyond the four walls of school. Travelling, attending conferences, seminars, workshops and high-powered meetings as well as managing agencies, departments, companies and businesses are all part of learning and education.
Also, Atiku’s claim that an INEC server, which contained the real figures of the election, put him in the lead, could have been the coup de grace if had a much convincing argument to substantiate it.
The former vice president asked the tribunal to order INEC to grant him access to its server and smart-card reader records. He claimed that from the data in lNEC’s “server’’, the results from state-to-state computation showed that he had a total of 18,356,732 votes to defeat Buhari who had 16,741,430 votes.
But INEC shrieked at the sound of ”server.”
Yunus Usman, INEC counsel, in a counter affidavit, asked the court to reject the application.
“They are asking us to bring something we do not have. My Lord, the commission did not deploy such technology infrastructure in the last general election,’’ he said.
The electoral umpire has been emphatic in its position that there is no server for the 2019 election. But I believe, the witnesses Atiku called did more to pooh-pooh his claim of ‘’server’’ than INEC did.
So, where there are two ridiculous cases; the tad ridiculous will take the day.
Kidnapped lecturer at the Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), Okitipupa, Professor Gideon Okedayo, has been found dead.
Information had it that his decomposing body was found on Sept. 9 in the bush, where his abductors held him.
Professor Okedayo of the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Acting Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies in the university was kidnapped on September 5 at Akoko Junction on the Igara-Auchi road, together with his driver on their way to Edo State.
The Chairman of the OSUSTECH Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU), Dr Dipo Akomolafe, confirmed Professor Okedayo’s death in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today, September 10 in Okitipupa.
He said that ASSU and the university community had been thrown into disarray and were saddened by the development.
“His decomposing body was found in the bush. This is so sad to ASUU and his family members because the abductors never called anybody, whether ASUU or Okedayo’s family for ransom.”
The spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, a Chief Superintendent of Police, did not pick several calls made to him on the development.
The Edo State Police Command had earlier announced that it had recovered Okedayo’s official vehicle, a Toyota Corolla car with registration number, 06X47OD.
Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Muhammad Saleh Benten, has commended King Salman and crown prince Muhammad Bin Salman over a royal decree aimed at restructuring visiting visa and Hajj, which includes canceling the fees of repeating Umrah.
Dr. Muhammad Saleh Benten said in a statement today, September 10, that the decision demonstrates the leadership qualities of the King and crown prince in the area of facilitating the easy arrival of Muslims from all over the world to perform Hajj and Umrah.
The minister noted that the decision supports the efforts by the authorities to achieve one of the main goals of Kingdom’s vision for 2030, which is that it plans to receive 30 million Umrah pilgrims by that year.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has decried what he calls the “undue politicization” of the security situation in Nigeria.
Kidnapped lecturer at the Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), Okitipupa, Professor Gideon Okedayo, has been found dead.
Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Muhammad Saleh Benten, has commended King Salman and crown prince Muhammad Bin Salman over a royal decree aimed at restructuring visiting visa and Hajj, which includes canceling the fees of repeating Umrah.
Sorry, I Don’t Think Atiku Is Coming, By Fredrick Nwabufo
By my ratiocination, the arguments of both parties are nourished with so much ridiculousness that the case itself appeals more as comic relief.
The president underpropped his argument with the claim that Atiku is not a citizen of Nigeria by birth, and that he ‘’ought not to have even been allowed in the first place, to contest the election’’.
Truly, the Nigerian constitution prescribes citizenship by birth as a requisite for the office of the president. But where did President Buhari get the “genius” of his case from? From a man he sent pythons after in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia state.
Months before the election, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), actuated the controversy about the origins of the PDP presidential candidate.
Kanu claimed Atiku is a citizen of Cameroon and not of Nigeria, having had his place of nativity in a part of Adamawa that was a portion of northern Cameroon until the plebiscite of 1961 which wedded that area of Cameroon with Nigeria.
Atiku was born in Jeda in November 1946 before the matrimony. Buhari hung his case on this claim, and also argued that votes cast for Atiku were worthless.
In fact, Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president, who appeared before the tribunal, reinforced this claim.
Let me ask stupidly. Why did the president not hinge his case on the substance of Atiku’s petition, which is the outcome of the February election? Why did he underpin his argument on the claim of a fugitive?
I admit, Atiku’s “citizenship quandary” as it relates to the office of the president is a grey area in Nigerian law that the courts will have to interpret to enrich the jurisprudence.
But the bigger issue, I think, is still the substance of his petition. Did Buhari really defeat Atiku in the election?
Atiku also brought on an aspect of ludicrity in his argument with the claim on Buhari’s certificate. I think the president’s “missing certificate” slant he propagandised detracted from the meat of his case.
Let me ask stupidly. Besides the sensation of the president being un-certificated, how does the claim buttress his case?
Already, courts of different jurisdictions (high court and appeal court) have dismissed suits filed on this claim. Recently, the supreme court dismissed an appeal seeking the disqualification of Buhari on the grounds that he did not submit his academic credentials to INEC.
In fact, the constitution does not specify ”certificate” as a prerequisite for the office of the president.
Section 131 (d) of the constitution says: A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the president if – he has been ‘’educated’’ up to at least school certificate level or its ‘’equivalent.”
The ringtone here is “educated.” Education is beyond the four walls of school. Travelling, attending conferences, seminars, workshops and high-powered meetings as well as managing agencies, departments, companies and businesses are all part of learning and education.
Also, Atiku’s claim that an INEC server, which contained the real figures of the election, put him in the lead, could have been the coup de grace if had a much convincing argument to substantiate it.
The former vice president asked the tribunal to order INEC to grant him access to its server and smart-card reader records. He claimed that from the data in lNEC’s “server’’, the results from state-to-state computation showed that he had a total of 18,356,732 votes to defeat Buhari who had 16,741,430 votes.
But INEC shrieked at the sound of ”server.”
Yunus Usman, INEC counsel, in a counter affidavit, asked the court to reject the application.
“They are asking us to bring something we do not have. My Lord, the commission did not deploy such technology infrastructure in the last general election,’’ he said.
The electoral umpire has been emphatic in its position that there is no server for the 2019 election. But I believe, the witnesses Atiku called did more to pooh-pooh his claim of ‘’server’’ than INEC did.
So, where there are two ridiculous cases; the tad ridiculous will take the day.
Really, I do not think Atiku is coming.
@FredrickNwabufo.