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Tag: atiku

  • Tinubu, APC, INEC oppose admission of Atiku’s documents in evidence

    Tinubu, APC, INEC oppose admission of Atiku’s documents in evidence

    President Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) on Wednesday objected to the admission of some documents sought to be tendered in evidence by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Alhaji Abubakar Atiku.

    At the resumed hearing of the petition filed by Atiku and the PDP challenging the election of President Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, counsel to the petitioners, Mr. Chris Uche, SAN, said that the team had prepared a second schedule of documents to be tendered.

    Some of the documents the petitioners tendered in evidence through Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, were certified true copies of Form EC8A downloaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) from its Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

    The Form EC8A were  for eight local government areas of Bayelsa, 23 local government areas of Kaduna state, 20 local government areas of Ogun, and that of 23 local government areas of Kogi.

    Form EC8As are sheets used for collection of results at the polling units level.

    The petitioners also tendered Form EC40G for Kaduna state.

    Form EC40G  is the form where INEC inputs the number of all polling units that were cancelled or voters couldn’t vote.

    Also tendered were the certified true copies of Forms EC8E for eight local government areas of Kaduna state and some local government areas in Kogi.

    Form EC8E is the last form which is used for the declaration of final results.

    The petitioners further tendered the print of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) for accreditation data with details including time stamp for 33 states.

    Jegede prayed the court to deem the documents as read pursuant to provisions of paragraph 46(A) of the first schedule of the Electoral Act.

    Counsel to INEC, Mr Kemi Pinhero, SAN, objected to the admissibility of all documents relating to Kogi except for those of five Local Government Areas namely, Olamaboro, Ofu, Omala, Okehi and Ajaokuta.

    He said this was because the five local governments whose documents he did not oppose were specifically pleaded in the petitioners pleadings.

    Pinhero also objected to the admissibility of the documents relating to the BVAS except for Kogi, Rivers, and Sokoto state.

    Counsel to Tinubu Mr. R. Okala, SAN and that of the APC, Mr. Adeniyi Akintola, SAN also objected to the admissibility of the documents sought to be tendered by the PDP and Atiku.

    The counsel, however, as agreed during the pre-hearing stage reserved their reasons for objecting to the admission of the documents in evidence to be given before their final addresses.

    Having objected to the admissibility of the documents, all counsel also refused to give their consent that the documents tendered be deemed as read.

    The Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, however, admitted the documents in evidence and labelled them appropriately.

    The matter was subsequently adjourned until Thursday for continuation of hearing.

    NAN

  • PEPC: Atiku, PDP tender documents in defence of their petition

    PEPC: Atiku, PDP tender documents in defence of their petition

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Mr Abubakar Atiku along with the party on Tuesday in Abuja, opened their case at the  Presidential Election Petition Court, (PEPC) by tendering documents to support their petition.

    One of the documents tendered by counsel to the petitioners, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN was the Form EC 8E which is the final declaration of winners result.

    Jegede also tendered the Bimodal Voters Accreditation Systems Machines, (BVAS) report from all 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

    He also tendered Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) certified documents in respect of number of registered voters as well as number of Permanent Voter Cards, (PVC)s collected in all the 36 states including the FCT.

    Having tendered the documents, the Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted them in evidence.

    Justice Tsammani subsequently adjourned the case until Wednesday for continuation of proceedings.

    Atiku and the PDP approached the PEPC challenging the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as winner of the Feb. 25 Presidential Election.

    Atiku urged the court to declare him winner of the election or in the alternative to cancel the election and order a fresh election due to alleged irregularities that marred the poll in thousands of polling units.

  • Provide evidence against Bawa not blackmail – Atiku’s aide tells Matawalle

    Provide evidence against Bawa not blackmail – Atiku’s aide tells Matawalle

    Daniel Bwala, one of the spokesmen of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has to an allegation raised against the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa.

    Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State had accused Bawa of begging him for $2 million.

    Bwala described the accusation as an attempt to blackmail to the anti-graft agency boss.

    In an interview with BBC Hausa, the governor claimed he was being investigated because he “didn’t offer the EFCC chairperson the money he requested from him.”

    The EFCC, however, dismissed the claim, stressing that it would not be drawn into a mud fight with a suspect under its investigation for corruption and unconscionable pillage of the resources of his state.

    Reacting to the development, Bwala said the attempt to blackmail Bawa was shameful.

    Tweeting, Bwala wrote: “If you want to remove Bawa as EFCC chair, at least be honourable about it and do that honorably.

    “The idea that outgoing governors and cabinet people are being investigated so you instigate one of the suspects to blackmail him is, to say the least, shameful.

    “Bawa, apart from improving upon the successes of Magu, has taken the commission to a more professional outfit where he draws accolades from far and near and deserves honor, not blackmail.

    “If you have evidence against him, follow the due process of the law rather than blackmail.”

  • Presidential election court adjourns Atiku, PDP’s petition

    Presidential election court adjourns Atiku, PDP’s petition

    The Presidential Election Petition Court, (PEPC), has adjourned pre-hearing in the petitions filed by Peoples Democratic party (PDP) challenging the outcome of the Feb.25 presidential election until Saturday.

    The five-member panel, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned after listening to the agreement by all counsel in the petition on their applications and suggestions in resolving issues.

    Tsammani said that the court recognised that the issues the parties were to resolve were narrow and that they should come back on Saturday

    He then adjourned until Saturday for continuation of pre-hearing.

    In the petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023, Abubakar Atiku and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are challenging the outcome of the Feb.25 presidential election.

    Respondents in the case are the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC), Sen. Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Earlier.  Counsel for the petitioners, Chris Uche, SAN told the court that various applications served by the respondents have been answered by the petitioners.

    Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN counsel for INEC, said he filed two applications which he hoped to adopt and rely on.

    The first application, he said, was filed on April 19 seeking the order of the court to strike out the 32 paragraphs listed in the petition.

    The second one, he added, was filed on May 7 seeking for an order of the court to strike out the reply on point of law.

    Responding, Uche told the court that in opposition to the applications, INEC was fighting a proxy war which a neutral body should not do.

    “INEC ought not to be here to fight the battle of Tinubu, INEC ought to be neutral and at best, defend only the election, he said.

    In his submission, Counsel  for Tinubu, Wole Olanipakun, SAN asked Yusuf Ali one of Tinubu’s counsel to take the applications.

    He told the court that the 2nd respondent filed three applications on May 13, striking out the entire petition.

    He urged the court to dismiss the petition as incompetent.

    Responding, Uche urged the court to dismiss the applications of the 2nd respondent for lacking in merit and hear the petition on its merit

    Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said he filed two applications on May 8, the 1st is praying for 15 reliefs asking for the dismissal of the petition.

    He added that the 2nd application dates May 8 is asking for an order striking out some identified paragraphs of the petition.

    He adopted it and urged the court to grant the applications.

    Responding, Uche said the petitioners filed a counter on May 13 and May 14 in response to the 3rd respondent’s application.

    He urged the court to dismiss the 3rd respondent’s applications for wanting in merit.

    Meanwhile, the court reserved ruling on all the applications.

    The petitioners ‘ counsel, Uche told the court that they have agreed to come together and sort out the modalities to apply.

    Responding, all respondents counsel separately told the court that it was just mentioned but not agreed on yet.

    They urged the court to give them until Monday to sort things out.

  • Atiku slams US secretary of State for calling Tinubu

    Atiku slams US secretary of State for calling Tinubu

    Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday expressed displeasure over the phone call by the United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, saying Blinken’s action contradicted the earlier position of U.S. Government on Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports
    that Blinken, had on Monday
    disclosed that the U.S.Government
    had imposed visa restrictions on those that aided , participated in election rigging in the last polls.

    Atiku, said the conversation gives legitimacy to the election, adding that the U.S. as a promoter of democracy should not legitimise as democratic the February 25 presidential poll which is being
    contested at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT, sitting in Abuja.

    Reacting yesterday of the U.S.
    official’s phone call to Tinubu, Atiku, via his Facebook page said,
    “I am in disbelief that Secretary Antony Blinken called Tinubu, a contradiction to the publicly stated position of the US on Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
    This is inconceivable considering that America, as the bastion of democracy, is well briefed on the sham election of February 25.

    “To give legitimacy to the widely acknowledged fraudulent election in Nigeria can be demoralising to citizens who have hedged their bet on democracy and the sanctity of the ballot. U.S. Department of State President Joe Biden U.S. Mission Nigeria.”

    However, a press statement from
    the U.S. State Department disclosed that Blinken spoke with Tinubu, emphasising continued commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.

    The statement attributed to
    Spokesperson Matthew Miller,
    indicated that the U.S.-Nigeria
    partnership is built on shared interests and strong people-to-people ties and
    that those links should continue to
    strengthen under President-elect,
    Tinubu’s tenure. Secretary Blinken
    and President-elect, Tinubu discussed the importance of inclusive leadership that represents all Nigerians, continued comprehensive security cooperation, and reforms to support economic growth”.

    However, the President-elect
    Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the conversation that lasted about 20 minutes sought the full support of the U.S. Government, pledged to be president of all the citizens irrespective of ethnicity and religion. He also reminisce about his education in the U.S. at Chicago where he bagged his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and the asylum granted to him by the U.S Government during the Abacha days and struggle to enthrone democratic government. Tinubu informed the U.S. that he will hit the ground running by uniting the country and reforming the institutions of government, fight poverty and provide jobs to the teeming youth population.

  • Atiku fumes at Blinken’s 20-minute conversation with Tinubu

    Atiku fumes at Blinken’s 20-minute conversation with Tinubu

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has fumed at Anthony Blinken’s phone call to President-elect Bola Tinubu.

    Blinken, who is US secretary of state had a 20-minute phone conversation with Tinubu and pledged his country’s commitment to partner with the incoming administration.

    But in a tweet on Wednesday, Abubakar said Blinken’s call to Tinubu contradicted the US position on the general election.

    “I am in disbelief that Anthony Blinken, US secretary, called Tinubu, a contradiction to the publicly stated position of the US on Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election,” Abubakar wrote.

    “This is inconceivable considering that America, as the bastion of democracy, is well briefed on the sham election of February 25.

    “To give legitimacy to the widely acknowledged fraudulent election in Nigeria can be demoralising to citizens who have hedged their bet on democracy and the sanctity of the ballot.”

  • Tinubu traveled to Europe on medical trip, not working visit as claimed – Atiku’s camp

    Tinubu traveled to Europe on medical trip, not working visit as claimed – Atiku’s camp

    The camp of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has explained that Nigeria’s president-elect traveled to Europe for medical reasons.

    Daniel Bwala on of Atiku’e media aides claimed that  Tinubu’s trip to Europe was more of medical than working visit as claimed.

    Bwala said calling Tinubu’s journey a working trip is wrong because he’s not the president yet.

    Tweeting, Bwala wrote: “Now they have learned to call the medical follow-up trip a working trip. Hold on; he is not yet the president, so technically, it is wrong to call it a working trip or visit. His media people should learn to humanize him so they do not have to make lies statecraft.

    “We have seen the movie before. Whilst PMB’s media people were busy saying the president is on a working trip or visit, PMB keeps saying “I have never been this sick before”. I thought Tinubu’s media aides would learn from that; alas if it didn’t Dey, it didn’t Dey.”

    Recall that a statement by Tinubu’s spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, had said the President-elect will use the opportunity of his trip to Europe to finetune the transition plans, programmes and policy options with key aides without distractions.

    Tinubu is also expected to engage with investors and allies to market investment opportunities for the country during his trip.

  • Atiku, PDP’s petition an abuse of court process, Tinubu tells tribunal

    Atiku, PDP’s petition an abuse of court process, Tinubu tells tribunal

    Sen. Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, has described the petition filed by Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against his election victory as “a gross abuse of court processes.”

    Tinubu, in a reply to the petition through his team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, told the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja.

    In a preliminary objection marked: CA/PEPC/05/2023, the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s presidential candidate in the Feb. 25 election, prayed the court to dismiss the entire petition.

    Abubakar, 1st petitioner, and PDP, 2nd petitioner, in the petition marked: CA/PEPC/05/2023, had sued INEC, Tinubu and APC as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.

    The petitioners are seeking the nullification of the Feb  25 presidential poll.

    Tinubu, who defeated 17 other candidates who took part in the election, scored a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates.

    While the former vice president came second with  6,984,520 votes in the poll; Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) came third with 6,101,533 votes.

    However, Abubakar and the PDP are asking the tribunal to set aside Tinubu’s victory and to declare Abubakar winner of the election.

    In the alternative, they want an order mandating INEC to conduct a fresh election, without the participation of APC and its candidate.

    Responding, Tinubu argued that the entire petition constituted an abuse of processes of court.

    He said the petitioners, in another case before the Supreme Court, are also asking for same reliefs as in the instant petition.

    He said the originating summons dated Feb. 28 was filed by six states controlled by the PDP (2nd petitioner) against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and others.

    He said Attorneys-General of Sokoto, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo are plaintiffs in the case.

    “Most, if not all the issues the plaintiffs submitted for determination in the said originating summons are repeated in the present petition,” he said.

    “In the main, the originating summons sought the setting aside of the presidential election held on 25th February, 2023.

    “The plaintiffs attacked INEC for not following its Manual and Regulations in the conduct of the election, and also complained of glitches, which is also the thrust of their petition.

    “While the originating summons was filed on Feb. 28, this petition was filed on March 21,” he argued.

    Tinubu, who said the petitioners are maintaining two processes in respect of the same subject, urged the court to dismiss the petition.

    He said the grounds of the petition were incompetent, hence, the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain them.

    He argued that though the petitioners alleged his election was invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act, 2022, they failed to disclose incidence of non-compliance with the law.

    He said though the petitioners complained about outcome of the election in 10 states which include Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kano, Plateau and Lagos, he was not declared as the overall winner in any of the states listed.

    According to him  Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party was declared the overall winner of the election in Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Plateau and Lagos States, while Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party was declared winner of the election in Kano State.

    Tinubu argued that none of these people and their parties were joined as a party on the petition.

    He said he could not be made willy-nilly to defend any infraction allegedly committed in any of those states.

    He, therefore, argued that the petition was improperly constituted and prayed the court to dismiss it.

    Tinubu said that Abubakar couldn’t have won the poll because he was a serial election loser.

    “The 1st petitioner (Abubakar) has been consistently contesting and losing successive presidential elections in Nigeria since 1993, whether at the party primary election level or at the general election,” he said.

    The president-elect recalled that Abubakar in 1993, lost the Social Democratic Party (SDP) primary election to
    the late Chief M.K.O Abiola.

    He said “in 2007, he lost the presidential election to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.”

    He said in 2011, he lost the PDP presidential primary election to President Goodluck Jonathan and in 2015, he lost the APC primary election to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Tinubu said in 2019, Abubakar lost the presidential election to Buhari; and now in 2023, he had, again, lost the presidential election to him.

    According to the president-elect, it was not a surprise or not by accident that the electorate rejected the 1st petitioner at the polls of the presidential election held on Feb. 25.

    He said he was ready to lead evidence to proof to the court that a host of states controlled by PDP and their governors protested against Abubakar’s emergence as party’s candidate and vowed never to support his candidature.

    He said he would “lead evidence to show that the 1st petitioner could not even campaign or canvass for votes in some of the states controlled by the 2nd petitioner, including Rivers and Oyo States where the 2nd respondent (Tinubu) defeated the 1st petitioner (Abubakar) by a wide margin.

    Tinubu, who said former vice president having lost at the election had no right to be declared as winner under the Nigerian laws, prayed the court to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit, substance and sincerity.

    He described it as being “frivolous, vexatious, highly misconceived and disclosing of no reasonable cause
    of action.”

    NAN

  • Soyinka should debate with Chimamanda Adichie – Atiku’s aide

    Soyinka should debate with Chimamanda Adichie – Atiku’s aide

    A spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Daniel Bwala has reacted to the TV debate challenge called by the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka with Datti Baba-Ahmed.

    Bwala said Soyinka was not a politician, hence should challenge Chimamanda not Datti.

    Tweeting, Bwala wrote: “Am told Prof. Soyinka asked to debate Datti. No, he should ask to debate Chimamanda Adichie.

    “Datti is a politician, Soyinka is not, so it will be an unfair debate.

    “But both Soyinka and Chimamanda trade on literature and grammar. #Soyinkadebatechimamanda.

    “When he tries Chimamanda, he will understand the phrase ‘nobody has the monopoly of knowledge’. It will certainly be the case of David v Goliath.”

  • EFCC, ICPC to respond in Keyamo’s suit against Atiku

    EFCC, ICPC to respond in Keyamo’s suit against Atiku

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, indicated its intention to respond in a suit filed by Festus Keyamo against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Feb. 25 poll.

    This was also as Oluwakemi Odogun, lawyer to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), told Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court, Abuja of commission’s plan to file its response in the case.

    Keyamo, a spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), had instituted the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/84/2023 against Abubakar over allegations bordering on money laundering.

    Also joined as defendants in the suit include the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), ICPC and the EFCC as 2nd to 4th defendants respectively.

    Keyamo had earlier asked law enforcement agencies to arrest Abubakar based on an audio recording released by Michael Achimugu, his former aide.

    In the audio, the former vice-president was alleged to have explained how shell organisations were set up to divert public funds.

    NAN reports that Justice Omotosho had, on March 7, threatened to strike out the suit over Keyamo’s inability to diligently prosecute the case.

    Upon resumed hearing, Keyamo’s counsel, Okechukwu Uju-azorji, informed that the matter was slated for hearing.

    Uju-azorji said that the former vice president, the 1st defendant, served on him a preliminary objection and that they had responded.

    The lawyer said Abubakar, however, was not represented in court today to take his application.

    He prayed the court for an adjournment to enable the 1st defendant take his objection.

    Counsel to the EFCC, Senami Adeosun,, who also prayed the court for a short time to enable them file their process in the suit, said they were still within time to respond.

    Odogun, who represented ICPC, spoke in the same vein.

    “We were served on March 15 with the originating processes. We sought an adjournment since we are within time to file,” she said.

    The judge adjourned the matter until April 18 for hearing of the pending preliminary objection.

    Omotosho, who ordered that hearing notices be issued to Abubakar and CCB, that were not represented in court, directed that parties interested in filing any application should do so before the next adjourned date.

    In a preliminary objection filed by Abubakar’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, the ex-vice president sought an order striking out or dismissing the suit for being incompetent and want of locus standi.

    The lawyer, who argued that the suit be dismissed for want of jurisdiction, said the case failed to disclose reasonable cause of action against his client.

    But Keyamo, in a counter affidavit deposed to by Henry Offiah, a litigation clerk in his chamber, averred that the CCB, ICPC and EFCC failed to respond to the allegations he raised against Abubakar and indeed failed to take any steps to invite or arrest him for the purpose of investigating the allegations against him.

    He said on Jan. 16, he wrote a petition to the three agencies requesting them to invite former vice president for the purpose of conducting investigations into the said allegations.

    He said but they refused to commence any form of investigation with respect to the allegations leveled against him

    Keyamo said he was aggrieved and instituted the present action on Jan. 20.

    “The allegations made against the 1st defendant (Abubakar) are the subject matter of the investigation sought by the plaintiff and the plaintiff seeks reliefs against the 1st defendant,” the document read.

    He said it was in the interest of justice for the court to dismiss Abubakar’s preliminary objection.mnh