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Category: Politics Lite

  • Tinubu swears in George Akume as SGF

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has on Wednesday sworn in Senator George Akume as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) at the council chamber.

    The new SGF took his Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office in the presence of government officials.

    Among those present at the swearing-in are Vice President Kashim Shettima; President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan; Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr FolasadeYemi-Esan and the spouse of the new SGF, Mrs Regina Akume.

    The President had last Friday appointed Akume as the SGF. He also appointed the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his new Chief of Staff while the former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, was appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff

  • Tribunal: Atiku’s subpoenaed witnesses unsettle INEC, Tinubu, APC

    The move by the former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP, Abubakar Atiku to bring subpoenaed witnesses into the hearing of his petition on Wednesday, to tender some sensitive documents was vehemently opposed by the Respondents.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President Bola Tinubu, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) through their counsel respectively opposed the calling of the subpoenas to testify against their clients.

    At the proceedings, lead counsel to the PDP, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, Atiku said he had four witnesses for the day. One is already front-loaded while three are Subpoenaed. One of the subpoenaed witnesses is an INEC Adhoc staff in the 2023 Presidential election.

    Shortly after the end of the cross-examination of the witness, Hon. Ndubuisi Nwobu from Anambra State, Uche informed the court that the petitioners have three subpoenaed witnesses and went to call the first one, an Adhoc staff of INEC.

    However, immediately the witness entered the witness box and barely before he could take his oath, counsel to INEC, Mr Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, rose in objection to the hearing of the evidence of the witness.

    He informed the court that he was only served this morning with the statement of the witness and as such would have to study the statement in order to do a thorough cross-examination.

    Tinubu’s lawyer, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, and APC’s lawyer, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, aligned with INEC, adding that they were only served barely 20 minutes ago with the statement and had not seen what it contains.

    Reacting, Uche maintained they are not supposed to front-load subpoenas statements to the respondents, adding that there was nothing strange in the statement of the witness to warrant an adjournment.

    At the juncture, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, proposed standing down the trial for 30 minutes to enable respondents look at the documents and thereby cross examination the first subpoenaed witness.

    Meanwhile, the electoral body  insisted that the witness should not be allow to testify because the witness “is said to be an Adhoc staff of the Commission” and as such he would have to go and look at INEC’s records to enable him confirm the status of the witness and prepare adequately.

    Consequently, Uche urged the court to adjourn till tomorrow for the calling of the three subpoenaed witnesses.

    The hearing into the petition continues on June 8.

  • INEC sabotaging our case by withholding electoral materials- Atiku’s Lawyer

    *Says they paid INEC N6m to release election materials

    The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar was said to have paid up to N6 million for the supply of certified true copy of the exhibits from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Counsel to Atiku, Eyitayo Jegede SAN, who made this known to the presidential election petition court, lamented that, still, the electoral body had not been forthcoming and cooperating as required and envisaged.

    The alleged refusal of INEC to make some critical electoral materials available to him, brought the proceeding to an abrupt end.

    Jegede explained that consequent to the above, Atiku’s legal team had to subpoena top officials of INEC to compel them to bring the required documents before the Court on their own.

    Consequently, he sought for a 24- hour adjournment to enable him approach the electoral body to do the needful.

    There were no objections from counsel to the respondents, INEC , who were represented by Abubakar Mahmud SAN, while Tinubu was represented by Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN and the All Progressives Congress APC having Lateef Fagbemi SAN as lead counsel.

    Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani adjourned the matter till June 7.

    At Tuesday’s proceedings, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN who conducted proceedings for Atiku had sought to tender forms EC8A from 10 out of 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State to establish the petition against Tinubu.

    The court admitted the evidence tendered as exhibits. 

  • Tribunal admits Obi, LP’s 18 states Form EC8As as exhibits 

    The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) Monday, admitted as exhibits the last Form EC8As from eight States, tendered the Labour Party and it’s Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, as evidence as the 2023 presidential election.

    At the commencement of the  proceeding om Monday, Obi, through his counsel, Patrick Ikwueto SAN tendered the remaining eight evidences from five states, adding that the documents were fully served on the parties.

    Among the documents tendered in evidence by the Petitioners were certified true copies of Form EC8A downloaded by the Independent Electoral Commission INEC from INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

    The form EC8As for 13 Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State, form EC8A for 13 LGAs of Nasarawa state, EC8A for 25 LGAs of Delta state, EC8A for 33 LGAs of  Kaduna state. As well as that of 21 LGA of Kogi state.

    Other evidences tendered were form EC8As for 27 LGA of Imo state, EC8As for 18LGA of Ondo state as well as EC8As for 7 LGAs of Sokoto state.

    Reacting, Tinubu, All Progressive Congress APC and INEC through their counsel, objected to the admissibility of all documents sought to be tendered as evidence.

    Refusing to consent to deeming the documents as read, the parties submitted that their reasons for objection will be communicated in their final written addresses.

    Meanwhile, the petitioners will continue with forms EC8B, EC8C, and EC8D from Tuesday.

    Form EC8B is the sheet for recording and collating election results at ward level, while Form EC8C is a sheet used for collating election results at local government level. 

    Lastly, Form EC8D is sheet for the collation of election results at state level. Constituency and senatorial district election results are recorded in this form.

    The five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsamani admitted all the evidence tendered as exhibits.

    The proceedings continue tomorrow, 6th of June. 

  • Tribunal: Obi, LP seek leave to hear motion on interrogation against INEC

    Mr Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) have prayed the court to hear motion originally filed on the 22nd May, 2023, seeking it’s leave to serve and deliver interrogatory letter on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The Petitioners informed the court that on June 2nd, they filed another motion seeking the leave of the court to hear the motion of 22nd May outside the pre-hearing section.

    In the letter, the Petitioners poses 12 questions on while INEC has not responded on the issues of calling of subpoenas to testify in the petition against the outcome of the 2013 Presidential election.

    Responding, INEC, through it’s counsel, Abubakar Mahmoud SAN, Wole Olanipekun SAN, counsel to Tinubu and Lateef Fagbemi SAN counsel to APC opposed the motion of June 2, stating that it was served on then on the same date.

    They maintained that the motion is not yet ripe for hearing as they need to time to respond.

    On the motion of 22nd of June, Mahmoud submitted the electoral empire has filed their responds on the 25 June.

    “We are opposing the June 2 application and our objection will take care of that of 22nd May.

    “We will file our reply within the time allotted to rules.

    ” We are ready to go on with the substantive matter. We have passed the stage of interrogatory. This move is a waste of time,” they submitted.

    In the bench ruling, chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsamani fixed 6th June for hearing on the motion.

  • Tribunal: Atiku didn’t win 25% vote in FCT- PDP Witness

    The first Petition Witness (PW9) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has told the Election Petition Court that Atiku didn’t secure 25% of votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the 2023 Presidential Election.

    The witness, Abraham David of Karmajiji community in the FCT, while under cross-examination, confirmed that the PDP candidate who didn’t score 25% votes, didn’t qualify to be declared the president of Nigeria.

    However, the businessman posited that for the fact that Ahmed Bola Tinubu who also didn’t score up to 25% votes could be returned as the president, Atiku Abubakar can also be returned as the winner. 

    Led by the Counsel to Tinubu, Akin Olujimi SAN, the witness, who said he visited 15 polling units out of the 2,822 polling units in FCT, maintained that unlawful votes were collated by the All Progressive Congress (APC) agents, but didn’t state the figures in his statement on oath.

    The witness, who claimed to be FCT Collation Officer for PDP, alleged that ballot papers and result sheets were manipulated by compromised Electoral officers in collusion with agents of other political parties.

    Also testifying, was a petition witness number 10(PW10), Ibrahim Mohammed Hamza of Lafia Nasarawa State. 

    Led in evidence by Atiku’s lead counsel, Akin Olujimi SAN, the witness, who said he is a Human Resources Consultant, identified Form EC8A 25, which is a collated result sheet from Nasarawa State.

    However, the witness maintained he signed clean documents while the documents he can identify with his signature were altered with cancellations.

    “My lords, the documents I signed had no cancellations. They must have altered the results. The cancellation was made after I endorsed my signature.”

    The Nasarawa State collation officer also maintained that the election results were not uploaded in most of the 3,256 polling units across the state, adding that he signed the result sheets under duress.

    “At the time of uploading the results, the system failed in most of the polling units across the state.

    “I signed the results sheet under duress because I needed a copy to submit at the state level,” he testified 

    So far, Atiku and his party have called 10 witnesses out of 100 witnesses lined up to prove their petition seeking to sack Bola Tinubu from Office.

    The proceeding continues tomorrow, the 6th of June.

  • Tribunal: Why we refused admittance of our own documents in evidence -INEC

      

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday in Abuja, seized an opportunity presented at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) to explain its reasons for refusing that its own documents be admitted in evidence.

    The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP,) Mr. Peter Obi, and his party sought to tender the documents as exhibits to establish their petition against the conduct of the Feb. 25 Presidential Election.

    INEC had on Thursday, through its counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, objected to the admission of several documents brought to the PEPC by the petitioners for the purpose of tendering them as exhibits in support of their petition.

    At Friday’s proceedings, INEC also objected to all the certified true copies of the Form EC8A the petitioners sought to tender from local governments across six states.

     INEC’s counsel, Pinheiro told the court that the electoral body kicked against the tendering of certified true copies of the documents, mainly election result sheets, on the grounds that they were strange to the petition.

    Pinheiro explained that issues were not joined in the local government areas where the result sheets were sought to be tendered, adding that it was wrong for the petitioners to go beyond the areas where the election was disputed.

    According to INEC, the local government areas unlawfully smuggled into proceedings of the court are totally strange to the petition and cannot stand in the face of the law.

    The Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, however, held that it was wrong for INEC’S lawyer to attempt to give reasons for his objection now when all parties had agreed during the pre-hearing stage to give reasons at the address stage.

    The counsel, however, said that he was compelled to offer some explanation following the bashing the commission received in the media that it was objecting to the admittance of its own documents in court.

    Meanwhile, the court has admitted as exhibits, Forms EC8A from 21 local government areas of Adamawa, Lagos state, eight local government areas of Bayelsa, and parts of Rivers and Niger as tendered by the petitioners. 

  • Tribunal: Obi, LP tender more exhibits in 6 states against Tinubu

    Tribunal: Obi, LP tender more exhibits in 6 states against Tinubu

    The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) Friday, admitted as exhibits documents from six states from the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, against President Bola Tinubu’s election.

    The exhibits are certified true copies of forms EC8A used in the February 25 presidential provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    On Thursday, Obi and his party tendered exhibits in six States comprising Rivers, Benue, Cross River, Niger, Osun, and Ekiti.

    However, at Friday’s proceedings, Obi tendered exhibits in six other states including Adamawa, Bayelsa, Oyo, Edo, Lagos and Akwa Ibom.

    A breakdown of the fresh exhibits showed that forms EC8A were admitted in 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa, 8 in Local Government Areas of Bayelsa, 31 Local Government Areas of Oyo, 18 Local Government Areas of Edo, 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos and 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom.

    So far, Obi and his party have tendered exhibits in twelve out of eighteen states they are challenging the election results.

    Reacting, all the Respondents in the matter submitted their intentions to object to the documents at the final stage of address.

    Haven exhausted the documents at their disposal for the day, Obi applied to the court to consider the admitted documents as read.

    The matter has been adjourned till June 5, for the continuation of the hearing.

  • Atiku, Obi tendering strange documents, INEC tells Court

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given reasons it objected documents as exhibits by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP,) Mr. Peter Gregory Obi.

    INEC has been opposing  documents sought to be tendered as evidence to establish Petitioners case against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    At the resumed proceeding, Friday, INEC, through it’s counsel, Kemi Pinhero SAN, told the Court that the electoral body kicked against the tendering of certified true copies of the documents for election result sheets because Obi and the Labour Party did not challenge the conduct of election in the areas relating to the documents.

    The electoral empire posited that issues were not joined in the Local Government Areas where the result sheets were sought to be tendered, adding that it was wrong of the petitioners to go beyond the areas where the election is disputed.

    Specifically, INEC said Petitioners are trying to confuse issues by bringing result sheets where he did not dispute the election and the returns adding that the presidential candidate ought to have guided himself with the pleadings in his petition.

    It maintained that the local government areas’s documents presented in the proceedings are totally strange to the petition and cannot stand in the face of the law. 

    Reacting, Justice Haruna Tsammani held that it was wrong of INEC to bring in the explanation into the proceedings because all parties in the petition have agreed to offer such explanations at the address stage of proceedings.

    INEC explains that he was forced to speak up on the objections because of the social media bash client it’s client suffered.

    Pinhero informed that the social media owners had turned his client to object of ridicule without finding out reasons for objections against the admissibility of the documents.

    Earlier, hearing in the petition of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) was further shifted to June 9, to enable lawyers obtain the May 26 judgment of the Supreme Court that would determine whether the petition still has life to sustain it or not.

  • We signed election result sheets under duress- PDP witness tells Tribunal

    The first witness (PW1) of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and their candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has told the Election Petition Court that he signed election result sheets of the 2023 Presidential election under duress.

    He maintained that other party agents were also forced to sign the result sheets in their separate polling units and at the State level.

    The PW1, Captain Joe Agada (rtd) revealed that they signed the result sheets under duress when it became clear that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC would not avail them of the result sheets.

    In his evidence in Chief, Captain Agada who claimed to be Kogi State Collation Officer for PDP in the February 25 presidential poll alleged that ballot papers and result sheets were manipulated by compromised Electoral officers in collusion with agents of other political party.

    Led in evidence by Atiku’s lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN, the witness alleged that he was present in several polling units where Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS were manipulated in favour of a particular party.

    Agada specifically revealed that he visited over 20 polling units in two Senatorial Districts of Kogi State and watched where firms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C were signed under duress by the PDP agents as a condition for the agents to be issued with the result sheets.

    Under cross examination by INEC’S lawyer, Abdullahi Aliyu SAN, the witness claimed to have voted at Ogugu in Olamaboro but that he was allowed to move round to monitor the election because of the Special Election Duty Tag provided him by INEC.

    Also under cross examination by Chief Akin Olujimi SAN, counsel to President Tinubu, the witness maintained that he endorsed the collated State Result of the election when the reality dawned on him that he would be denied a copy of the result sheet.

    Captain Agada who admitted giving evidence for Atiku in 2019 admitted that he did not put his grievances against the election in his witness deposition on oath.

    Similarly cross examined by Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN on behalf of the All Progressives Congress APC, the witness admitted basing his report on the information supplied him by other agents of the party.

    Also, the Second Petition witness, 

    Dr Solarin Sunday Adekunle, the Ogun State Collation Officer said that he refused to sign the collated results in protest against electoral malpractices.

    Led in evidence, the witness 

    alleged that election results were allegedly inflated inflated prompting him to decline signing the result sheets.

    The third witness, Barrister Uzoma Nkem Abonta told the Court that the election was a nullify on account of so many irregularities, discrepancies and non compliance with rules of the election.

    Abonta said that because INEC failed to electronically transmit elections results, what was declared did not reflect the genuine wish of the people of Abia State.

    Matter continues June 2.