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Presidential Verdict: Buhari Urges Tinubu to Bring Opposition On Board

September 7, 2023

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bring ‘everyone’ on board to be able to succeed in his quest to change the country.

The ex-president was reacting to the judgment, on Wednesday, of the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, which upheld the election of the All progressives Congress, APC, candidate.

The 5-man panel of the judges of the Court of Appeal threw out the petition of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, and two others for lack of merit, affirming the declaration of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that Tinubu won the February 25 presidential election.

Abubakar and Obi have since rejected the verdict, and are prepared to challenge it at the Supreme Court, the country’s highest court.

Reacting to the judgment, Buhari said the president must rally Nigerians to be able to deliver on his election promises to the country.

The former leader comment is contained in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu.

“From here, the new APC administration led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu should get the support of everyone in order to deliver the promises it made to the people,” Buhari said.

He said the judgment is an affirmation of the choice Nigerians made on February 25, which according to him must be respected.

Buhari said“If anybody has won today it is the democracy and the people,” adding that Nigerians should put the election behind them.

He congratulated President Tinubu on his victory re-affirming his confidence in his to be able to move the country forward.

“Stop The Lies Against Uzodinma, DSS, I Am Not In DSS Detention” – Uzoma, Orient FM Staff

The Source

September 7, 2023

By Charles Igbo

A suspended staff of the Imo State Government owned Orient FM has decried what he called blatant lies being spread about the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma and the Department of State Security over him.

The staff, Apostle Casmir Chinenye Uzoma, was suspended by the Management of the popular Radio Station for playing a very derogatory song about Uzodinma while on duty. He was the Technical Officer on the day the song was played. Reports allege he admitted to the offence. This magazine, at the time of filing this story was not able to confirm the veracity of Uzoma’s admission of culpability, those behind his playing the song, or if it was his own decision.

However, in the past few days, some social media platforms had ran a story to the effect that Uzoma has been clamped in detention, and in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, for over one year.

But Uzoma has just dismissed the claim as false and said it was a deliberate lie being spread to put both the Governor and the DSS in bad light.

He put the false allegation at the feet of a Governorship candidate in the State who he said was weaving lies about the Governor and the DSS to score cheap political points. Sadly, he said, the aim has failed.

At a Press Conference he addressed in Owerri Uzoma said he has been in his house since his suspension, and had not been harassed by anybody.

The person who first put a lie to the claim that Uzoma was in the custody of the DSS was Ochiagha Frank Nwaete, Director Imo Progressives Movement. He did so in response to a post by the Head of the PDP New Media, Mr Lancelot, to the effect that Uzoma’s whereabouts in the past one year, since he was allegedly picked by the DSS, was unknown.

Nwaete dismissed the claim as a bundle of lies and revealed that Uzoma was in his house and waiting to be recalled to office as his case has almost been sorted out.

At the Press Conference where Uzoma was flanked by Nwaete, he described the allegation as “false, unfounded, lies and deceit which emanated from the Campaign Office of the PDP Governorship Candidate.”

A furious Apostle Uzoma said the “trash written is a figment of the imagination of the writers”, and pleaded with them to leave him out of their lies and propaganda and smear campaign against the Governor.

He added that trying to use him as a campaign weapon against Uzodinma has “failed disgracefully.”

He disclosed that he has instructed his Lawyer to take actions against anyone who would, from now on, post lies, and use his name as a weapon in such smear campaign against the Governor.

“You Forced My Speech To Fit Your Jaundiced Mind” – Justice Mary Odili –Decries Malicious Attacks On Her

The Source

September 7, 2023

Justice Mary Odili attack on her Abuja residence

By Charles Igbo

The Honourable Justice Mary Peter-Odili, CFR, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, has decried the number of malicious attacks directed at her over her speech at the occasion which marked the 25th Anniversary of Chief Joe Gadzama as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.

Justice Peter-Odili had, in her speech, noted the controversy thrown up by the 2023 General Elections, and advised losers and aggrieved parties not to pull down the roof of the Nation, but to express their their misgivings and/or grievances through the appropriate legal route.

She neither mentioned any particular election since there was more than one election – Presidency, National Assembly, Governorship, House of Assembly – nor did she mention any party or individual.

But parts of her speech has since been twisted and misinterpreted, thus, giving the impression that she was referring to the Presidential election which the Petitions Panel was still sitting, and had a couple of days to deliver its judgement.

In a statement signed and released by her Media Assistant, Chief Felix Enebeli, Justice Peter-Odili said there was nothing in her speech “that suggested a reference to those who lost in any particular election in any State or Region.” She noted that: “The 2023 General Elections were in four categories: the State Houses of Assembly, Governorship, National Assembly and Presidential Elections. Moreso, the lawyers who attended the event, especially, the named ones, were called upon in their professional capacity to find solutions to the challenges facing the 2023 elections, irrespective of their leaning.”

The statement said she acknowledged the lawyers – Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the host, J.K. Gadzama, because they, among others, are globally acknowledged strong litigation Lawyers. She also noted that Gadzama “is a known lawyer who had done several cases for the PDP”, and added that: “The several other Lawyers in attendance are possibly handling various cases for politicians.”

The statement then asked: “So, where is the reason for this unprovoked attack? There is, therefore, nothing to suggest an ill-motive on her part in the way these unpatriotic persons are struggling to do.”

Finally, the statement reproduced the relevant parts of Justice Peter-Odili’s speech and asked the public to be the judge. It said: “The public should be the judge. The foregoing clearly shows that there is nothing said by Hon. Justice Mary Odili (who is a retired Justice, and is free to express her views like any other person) which suggests the wicked twist of bias championed by the same persons who are bullying the judiciary and threatening to pull down the roof without recourse to due process.”

The full text of the statement reads:

“JUSTICE MARY ODILI’S ADVICE AT THE COLLOQUIUM TO MARK

CHIEF JOE K. GADZAMA’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY AS A *SAN IS TO ALL NIGERIANS AND NOT TO ANY POLITICAL PARTY OR PERSON.”

“Our attention has been drawn to the skewed social media interpretation inflicted upon the innocuous speech made by Hon Justice Mary Odili CFR, retired Justice of the Supreme Court during the Colloquium organized in Abuja on Friday 1st September, 2023 to mark the 25th anniversary of Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

“The event was themed ‘The Nigeria of our Dreams: A Call to the Patriots’.

“Since then, a section of the social media has been hosting comments from some unpatriotic persons who forced her speech to fit their jaundiced state of mind and political nuances. Justice Mary Odili spoke like one “who saw something and said something” without minding whose ox was gored.

“In her speech, the learned Jurist acknowledged that the 2023 general elections “generated a storm” and advised all those who were not declared victorious in the elections to toe the line of legality in expressing their dissatisfaction through the appropriate channels and not pull down the roof of the nation because of its far-reaching consequences on every one including themselves. How else could she have responded as an elder in an occasion like that?

“It is emphasised that there is nothing in her noble speech that suggested a reference to those who lost in any particular election in any state or region. The 2023 general elections were in four categories: the State Houses of Assembly, Governorship, National Assembly and Presidential elections. Moreso, the lawyers who attended the events, especially the named ones, were called upon, in their professional capacity, to find solutions to the challenges facing the 2023 elections irrespective of their leaning. Wole Olanipekun SAN is the immediate past Chairman, Body of Benchers who handed over to Justice Mary Odili. Lateef Fagbemi SAN is the Hon Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Nigeria and the Host J. K. Gadzama SAN is a known Lawyer who has done several cases for the PDP.

“These lawyers are globally acknowledged as strong in litigation. The several other lawyers in attendance are possibly handling various cases for politicians. So where is the reason for this unprovoked attack? There is, therefore, nothing to suggest an ill motive on her part in the way these unpatriotic persons are struggling to do.

“However, we have reproduced here, the crucial parts of her speech on that day for the avoidance of doubts and for the public to judge.

‘This colloquium and book launch in honour of Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama upon the attainment of 25 years as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria is an epocal achievement. It is no doubt appropriate that the theme is, The Nigeria of our Dreams, A Call to the Patriots. I say so in the light of the prevailing situation in Nigeria as a result of the 2023 general elections which has generated a lot of storms, necessitating the conversation which we are about to indulge in as there seems to be moves to throw the nation into chaos or conflagration. This may be brought about by some individuals and groups who, fanning the embers of hatred, bigotry and tribalism fail to see the possible outcomes of the utterances without caution that are being thrown around.

‘It is human to feel cheated or having the short end of the stick but one who is not declared the winner at any of the electoral contests, such emotion however grim, does not justify bringing the roof down, the roof of our nation. The reason is simple, that in such an eventuality, that aggrieved person may not be spared as the commotion that could ensue would be like an unguided missile which could land anywhere and upon anyone?

‘Therefore, in ventilating our points of view and facts at the electoral tribunals or other courts, a sense of responsibility from all parties is demanded. The situation does not call for the blackmail of the judges or the posting of speculatory hypothesis, giving them such a life of their own which run riot and accepted by the hapless and innocent in the society as the truth.

‘Knowing the quality of participants at this colloquium and I am happy, professionals, those who are well equipped in litigation matters or electoral disputes – Chief Olanipekumn is a master, and our Attorney General recently sworn in. These are experts. I am confident that having such persons here including our Chief Host, Chief J.K Gadzama SAN, there is confidence that at the end of the day, a resetting of the mind would be taking place and we would keep things in perspective in the full knowledge that elections are seasonal and litigations relating thereto … and so when the seasons are gone, the courts get back to their natural and regular duties of adjudication regarding the affairs and rights of all persons irrespective of their status in life.

‘J.K. Gadzama SAN has called us to this discuss lest we forget our past, the recent happenings in our country and the need for a restoration of the ethos and the values for which the founding fathers have set in motion as guides to all of us, young and old, irrespective of the positions we occupy in the society. We all have to get our acts together and rebuild our nation’

“The public should be the judge. The foregoing clearly shows that there is nothing said by Hon. Justice Mary Odili (who is a retired Justice and is free to express her views like any other person) which suggests the wicked twist of bias championed by the same persons who are bullying the judiciary and threatening to pull down the roof without recourse to due process.”

PEPT: Tinubu Hails Obi, Atiku As Valiant Challengers; Praises Panel Members, Says Nigeria Has Matured

Adesina Soyooye

September 7, 2023

Bola Tinubu-Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar

By Adesina Soyooye

In his reaction to the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal Court, PEPC which affirmed him as the winner of the February 25 Presidential Election, President Bola Tinubu hailed members of Tribunal, and asserted that Nigeria has matured.

The five man panel of Appeal Court Judges unanimously ruled in favour of Tinubu, thus, handed him over a resounding victory against his opponents.

The Candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Labour Party, LP, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, respectively, along with their Political Parties, had dragged Tinubu to Court citing many alleged infractions to challenge his victory as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

But on Wednesday, September 6, PEPC roundly dismissed their challenge and affirmed Tinubu as duly elected.

In a statement signed on behalf of the President who is on an official visit to India by his Media Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, the President while thanking Nigerians and affirming his commitment urged his challengers to advice their supporters to exhibit the spirit of patriotism.

Said Ngelale in the statement: “The President urges his valiant challengers to inspire their supporters in the trust that the spirit of patriotism will now and forever be elevated above partisan considerations, manifesting into support for our Government to improve the livelihood of all Nigerians.”

In the statement, dated September 6, 2023, President Tinubu “assured Nigerians of his renewed and energized focus on delivering his vision of a unified, peaceful and prosperous nation.”

Tinubu said he welcomed “the judgment of the Tribunal with an intense sense of solemn responsibility and preparedness to serve all Nigerians, irrespective of all diverse political persuasions, faiths, and tribal identities.”

He, also, said that he “recognizes the diligence, undaunted thoroughness, and professionalism of the five-member bench, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani in interpreting the law”, and added “affirms that his commitment to the rule of law, and the unhindered discharge of duties by the Tribunal, as witnessed in the panel’s exclusive respect for the merits of the petitions brought forward, further reflects the continuing maturation of Nigeria’s legal system, and the advancement of Africa’s largest democracy at a time when our democratic system of government is under test in other parts of the continent.

Said the statement: “The President believes the Presidential Candidates and Political Parties that have lawfully exercised their rights by participating in the 2023 general elections and the judicial process, which followed, have affirmed Nigeria’s democratic credentials.

“The President urges his valiant challengers to inspire their supporters in the trust that the spirit of patriotism will now and forever be elevated above partisan considerations, manifesting into support for our Government to improve the livelihood of all Nigerians.

“Once more, President Tinubu thanks Nigerians for the mandate given to him to serve our country while promising to meet and exceed their expectations, by the grace of God Almighty, and through very diligent hard work with the team that has been put in place for that sole purpose.”

PEPC Rejects Atiku’s 15 witnesses In Case Against Tinubu

Adesina Soyooye

September 6, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

15 out of the 27 witnesses presented by the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, have been rejected by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, PEPT.

PEPT rejected them on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, while delivering its judgment on the declaration of President Bola Tinubu, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner.

Justice Stephen Adah, a member of the five-man panel who read the ruling said it was on the grounds that the petitioner did not file their statements on oath along with the petition.

PEPT also noted that the petitioner could not file the statements on oath “before the close of the 21-day window given from the date election result was announced.”

PEPC Judgement Falls Short Of Expectation Of Nigerians – LP

Ayodele Oni

September 6, 2023

By Ayodele Oni

The Labour Party, (LP) has said it is still studying the judgement of the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court, (PEPC) led by Justice Haruna Tsammani which dismissed the petition of the party against the election of President Bola Tinubu.

The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh noted that “justice was not served and it did not reflect the law and the desire of the people.”

The party in the statement declared its outright rejection of the judgement, saying it did not reflect the wish of Nigerians.

It said its next line of action would be made known after consulting with its lawyers and studying the certified true copy of the Judgement.

The statement read: “The Labour Party watched with dismay and trepidation the dismissal of petitions by the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani today.

“We reject the outcome of the judgment in its entirety because justice was not served and it did not reflect the law and the desire of the people.

“Nigerians were witnesses to the electoral robbery that took place on February 25, 2023, which was globally condemned but the Tribunal in its wisdom refused to accept the obvious.

“What is at stake is democracy and we will not relent until the will of the people prevail.

“We salute the doggedness of our team of lawyers who fearlessly exposed the wrath in our system. We can only weep for democracy in Nigeria but we refuse to give up on Nigeria.

“Details of the party’s position will be presented after consultation with our lawyers after the Certified True Copy of the judgement is received.

“We urge all lovers of democracy to remain focused and hopeful because a new Nigeria is possible.”

Transmission Of Election Results Not Mandatory By Any Law – PEPC

The Source

September 6, 2023

Presidential Election Petition Tribunal 2023

The transmission of result sheets to IReV during the February 25 Presidential Election, has been dismissed as not Mandatory by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT

Delivering judgement on the contentious issue for which reason opposition political parties and their candidates asked for the upturning of President Bola Tinubu’s victory as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Justice Haruna Tsammani said the transmission of electoral results to IReV was not mandatory.

The Judge emphasized that there is no law which says that the transmission of electoral results from polling units is mandatory.

Tsammani’s ruling was on the petition by the Labour Party, LP, on the implication of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s failure to upload the photographic election result sheets to IReV.

Said Tsammani: “There is no law that says INEC must mandatorily transfer or transmit the results of the election from the polling units electronically.”

He posited that the law empowers INEC to decide the means of collation of the results of elections in Nigeria which it did.

No Evidence Tinubu Is A Convict – PEPC

Adesina Soyooye

September 6, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal Court has dismissed the much held view that President Bola Tinubu is a convict.

In its judgment on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, over the Presidential Election held on February 25, 2023, PEPT said there is no evidence to show that Tinubu was convicted of Drug charges in the United States of America.

Both the Labour Party, LP, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, along with their Presidential Candidates, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, had pleaded that Tinubu was not qualified to run for the office of the President because he was indicted in a Drug case in the US for which he forfeited money.

In its lead judgement, PEPC, in the joint petition filed by the LP and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, posited that the evidence before it established that the $460, 000 fine that was imposed on Tinubu in the US, was in a civil matter not a criminal matter.

Such fine, it noted, did not translate to a criminal conviction capable of warranting Tibubu’s disqualification from the presidential election contest.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, leader of the five-member panel, was of the view that a careful look of the exhibits before the court, showed that the case which led to the fine awarded against Tinubu, “was in the civil docket” of the court in the US.

Contrary to the contention of the Petitioners, he noted, the case, was a civil forfeiture proceeding against funds that were in the bank and not an action against Tinubu as a person.

He described such civil forfeiture proceeding as “a unique remedy that is targeted at a property and not the owner.”

The court, also, held that Obi and the LP failed to show any indictment against Tinubu, or where he was arraigned, tried or convicted for any criminal offence in the USA.

It noted that a letter the Inspector General of Police wrote in 2003 to the American Embassy, confirmed that there was no criminal record against Tinubu in its centralized information center.

Both the letter from the IGP and the response from the US Embassy, it observed, are public documents that are admissible in evidence.

According to the Court, the Petitioners were unable to produce any evidence to establish that Tinubu was tried and convicted for a criminal offence.

It also held that a period of 10 years had elapsed since the said fine was imposed against Tinubu, and, therefore, “not be a valid ground to seek his disqualification.

It accordingly dismissed that leg of the petition the LP and Obi filed to nullify his election as President.

Why PEPC Rejected EU Election Observers’ Report

Ayodele Oni

September 6, 2023

By Ayodele Oni

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has rejected the report of the European Union, (EU) on the Presidential Election.

According to the Tribunal, the rejection was based on the grounds that they were not tendered by an official body.

The PEPC expunged from its records, a copy of the report made by the EU Election Observers Mission tendered by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP).

The Court held that the document was obtained by the petitioners from its registry, which was certified by its staff who is not a person with original custody of the document that was produced by the EU mission.

The actual copy of the report was earlier tendered by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while prosecuting their petition before the court.

The court also rejected the 18088 blurred results sheets tendered by the petitioners on the grounds that they were not tied to any polling units to which the results related, which the petitioners failed to specify in their petition.

The court held that the petitioners lied that they could not identify the polling units because the result sheets were blurred.

It noted that one of the same petitioners’ witnesses actually produced a report in which he analysed the same results, which he claimed to have sourced from INEC’s results viewing platform.

It further noted that having admitted that its agents signed for and collected copies of the result sheets, the petitioners cannot claim not to know the polling units affected, but merely chose not to specify the polling units in their petition.

FCT’s 25% Irrelevant In Tinubu’s Presidential Victory – PEPC

Adesina Soyooye

September 6, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has said that the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, now the President, Bola Tinubu, does not require to win upto 25 per cent of votes in Abuja to be declared the winner of the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election.

By that declaration, the PEPC put rest the argument of whether winning 25% in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was necessary in becoming president of Nigeria.

The PEPC said the voters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja are equal to every other voters in the states in Nigeria, and insisted that Abuja has no special status.

The Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential candidates had submitted that winning 25% of the FCT votes, in addition to meeting other requirements, is a requirement for being declared the winner in the Presidential Election.

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