Politics
Olanipekun, 49 other lawyers to defend Tinubu against Obi, Atiku
A legal icon and one-time President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Wole Olanipekun, will lead 49 other lawyers to defend the victory of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu at the presidential election tribunal.
Olanipekun, a senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN, with other legal luminaries to ensure that Tinubu prevail over his arch rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, who have challenged his victory.
Tinubu, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, emerged as the winner of the presidential election held on Saturday, February 25, with 8, 794,726 votes to beat Atiku and Obi to the second and third positions with 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 scores respectively.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, presented him with a Certificate of Return last week Wednesday.
But, Obi and Atiku criticised INEC, arguing that the elections were marred with irregularities, and vowed to take their grievances to court.
However, Tinubu’s legal representatives are waiting to be served with the petitions of the candidates of the PDP’s Atiku and the LP’s Obi.
But the first and second runners-up have sought leave of the tribunal to inspect some election materials used for the poll.
Members of the Tinubu legal team are to hold their preliminary meeting today in Lagos. They are to discuss some of the issues in the public domain which may be included in the petitions of the PDP and the LP.
There were indications that some PDP governors may join in the case before the tribunal to testify that the poll was free and fair in their states.
Investigations showed that some of the 50 SANs were said to have opted for free service to actualise Tinubu’s mandate.
It was learnt that a few of them joined the team based on the conviction that the presidential election was the “freest and fairest” in the country’s history with large-scale upsets.
Some of the senior lawyers in the vanguard of defending Tinubu’s mandate are a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Akin Olujimi, Yusuf Ali, Lateef Fagbemi, A.U. Mustapha, Ahmed Raji, Abiodun Owonikoko, Kemi Pinheiro, Niyi Akintola and H.M. Liman.
Others are: Taiwo Osipitan, Babatunde Ogala, Roland Otaru, James Onoja, Muiz Banire, Olusola Oke and a former Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Buoyed by patriotism and the need to protect the sanctity of the ballot, about 50 SANs have signed up to defend the mandate of Asiwaju Tinubu. The figure may be more in the next few days.
“Some of these legal giants have either not met with Tinubu or seeking any favour from him. They believe that the February 25 poll was credible and the best in the history of Nigeria.”
The source added: “In spite of the noise in the media, both Atiku and Obi have not served Tinubu and APC a copy of any petition before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
“But the defence team of Tinubu will meet on Tuesday (today) in Lagos ahead of allowing Atiku and Obi to get their acts together.”
Section 130 (1, 2and 3) of the Electoral Act 2022 says: “ “No election and return at any election under this Act shall be questioned in any manner other than by a petition complaining of an undue election or undue return presented to the competent tribunal or court in accordance with the provisions of the constitution or of this Act and in which the person elected or returned is joined as a party.
“In this part, ‘tribunal’ means-(a) in the case of the presidential election, the Court of Appeal; and (b) in the case of any other elections under this Act, the election tribunal established under the Constitution or by this Act.
“The election tribunals shall-(a) be constituted not later than 30 days before the election; and (b) when constituted, open their registries for business seven days before the election.”
Politics
Guber poll: We won fair and square, says Ogun APC
The All Progressives Congress in Ogun State has maintained that it “won fair and square” the gubernatorial elections held on Saturday, March 18, 2023.
In a press statement issued in Abeokuta Tuesday evening and signed by the APC’s State Publicity Secretatry, Tunde Oladunjoye, the party posited that “the election itself was largely peaceful and the outcome was a true reflection of the wishes of the good people of Ogun State.”
The statement reads further: Despite political thuggery, vote–buying and violence perpetrated by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ogun people stood firm and ensured their votes counted.”
“We all witnessed how these desperate politicians band their gullible followers, bent on wrestling power by force, broke all rules of civility and violated electoral guidelines with reckless abandon.
“Our party, the All Progressives Congress, not only won the election with majority votes, but also won in 12 of the 20 Local Government Areas in Ogun State. In addition, our party won 17 out of the 26 State House of Assembly constituency seats.
“In flagrant disobedience of the Electoral Act (2022) and the guidelines stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) restricting movement on the Election Day, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, had a free reing, criss-crossing from one polling unit to the other and moving across local governments and senatorial districts. His long convoy had armed thugs, people in police uniform with guns, and others accompanying him. They harassed electoral officers, induced voters with cash, credit cards and transferred funds at will to sway voters against all known democratic norms.
“Again, the PDP candidate and his running mate, Abdulkadir Adekunle Akinlade were sighted around 12 midnight at the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Secretariat, which served as the Collation Centre for the LGA. Accompanied by well over 50 thugs, wielding cudgels, cutlasses, dangerous weapons and guns; they attempted to force their ways into the Collation Centre by impersonating the Returning Officer. A worse scenario later played out at the Oke Ilewo Office of the INEC where collation for Abeokuta South Local Government was taking place.
“There, the thugs fired several gunshots and used tear gas canisters on defenceless staff and party agents to disrupt proceeding.”
“Another unwholesome practice deployed by the Ladi Adebutu political machine was unbridled vote buying. Instances abound across all the 20 local government areas where they induced electorate to vote. Early that day, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested four PDP party agents with hundreds of thousands of money credits cards meant to buy votes at Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta. Each of these card was pre-loaded with N10,000 and meant to be activated to cash with a code.
“Another PDP agent was arrested with hundreds verve pre-paid credit cards with the name Caroline Oladunni Adebutu Memorial Endowment Scheme at Agbado in Ifo Local Government and over 300 Permanent Voters Cards were found on the suspect by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives.
“It is on record that a number of polling units and electoral materials were vandalised in some areas by these paid thugs even as security agents became helpless in those units.
“More curious is the fact that some APC chieftains were invited to Police Headquarters at Eleweran in Abeokuta 48 hours to the election for no just reason other than intimidation”.
“Despite these shenanigans from the PDP and its twin-sister, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the people of Ogun State stood firm and chose good governance over cash-and-carry candidates. We urge our politicians to exhibit maturity by conceding defeat where and when it is obvious that they have been thoroughly trounced as was the case in the last Governorship election in our dear State.
“Finally, we advise the candidates that lost election last Saturday to accept the magnanimous olive branch offered by the winner of the election, His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun and join him in his ‘Building Our Future Together Agenda’. The Ogun State Project is everybody’s project”, the statement reads.
-
Featured4 years agoLampard Names New Chelsea Manager
-
Featured3 years agoFG To Extends Lockdown In FCT, Lagos Ogun states For 7days
-
Featured4 years agoNYSC Dismisses Report Of DG’s Plan To Islamize Benue Orientation Camp
-
Featured3 years agoChildren Custody: Court Adjourns Mike Ezuruonye, Wife’s Case To April 7
-
Featured2 years agoTransfer Saga: How Mikel Obi Refused to compensate me After I Linked Him Worth $4m Deal In Kuwait SC – Okafor
-
Sports5 months agoTINUBU LAMBAST DELE MOMODU
-
Featured4 years agoBoard urges FG to establish one-stop rehabilitation centres in 6 geopolitical zones
-
Sports9 months agoBREAKING: Pinnick Attacks Buhari, Sports Minister Over 3rd Term Ambition
