Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha says President Muhammadu Buhari and his supporters are not worried about Atiku Abubakar’s plans to challenge the result of Saturday’s presidential election in court.
Atiku has rejected the outcome of the election, describing it as the worst in Nigeria’s history. But Mustapha said there is nothing to worry about.
“We are not jittery at all because the process was open and transparent. It was a credible election and we will continue to savour the victory. In the process too, we will extend the hand of friendship for the purpose of nation building and reconciliation,” Boss, who is also from Adamawa state like Atiku, said.
“Our electoral act and the constitution have both provided a window for whoever is dissatisfied with the process of election to seek redress. That is the path and we will encourage them to go along that path.”
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has alleged a 513,214 discrepancy in the number of accredited voters and ballots cast in 27 states during the presidential election that held last weekend.
In its fourth interim report, issued by the Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwankwo, on the collation and announcement of the poll results on Tuesday, they said results announced by some state returning officers were disturbing.
Against the backdrop that there were simultaneous accreditation and voting, they noted that a cursory look at some of the figures on accredited voters and total votes cast showed lapses.
According to the CSOs, as at 6:47pm on Tuesday, the gulf was 513,214 in 27 states, including Nasarawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Edo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The situation room had called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “transparently address this confusion before the completion of result tabulation.”
The findings indicate a lack of clarity in the rationale for cancellation of polls, noting that the CSOs recorded 1,084,358 voided votes across 1175 polling units in 18 states.
“The pattern of this cancellation requires some close interrogation to show fairness and objectivity,” the report added.
The reasons provided for the cancelled votes, the groups said, included over-voting, card reader malfunctioning and violence. They called on the electoral body to provide clarification on compliance with its guidelines regarding cancellation of elections.
On claims of duress by INEC staff, the CSOs observed that the officials and ad hoc workers had alleged harassment and intimidation in the course of the collation process and undue pressure during announcement of results.
The election monitoring unit noted that INEC failed to publicly acknowledge the occurrences and take measures to safeguard its personnel.
While urging Nigerians to remain peaceful, the organisations called on aggrieved political parties and candidates to seek redress through legal channels.
Nwankwo stated that the groups deployed observers in all 8,809 electoral wards nationwide and received reports of monitors being restricted from several ward collation centres.
Veteran Yoruba actor and one of the pioneers of the Yoruba movie industry, Alfred Rotimi Popoola is dead. Alfred who is also known as 'Ilu Venture', passed on yesterday at his Abeokuta, Ogun State home, after a brief illness. TAMPAN in a statement this morning confirmed his death saying;
''It saddens me to announce the untimely death of our beloved colleague Hon. Alfred Rotimi Popoola aka Ilu Venture. After brief sickness yesterday 27th Feb., 2019. There will be a short memorial service at St Jude Cathedral, Church, Iberekodo, Abeokuta by 12:00noon on February 28th. In order to give him last respect we planned to join the family at Lantoro Mortuary by 10am tomorrow from where we will move to the church. May his soul rest in peace! Ilu oooo digba ooo se.''
This Tristan seems like a g-at! He cheats and he is like life goes on!! Why do they treat the Kards like this! Lmao!! Oh dear! Tristan has been at the center of a messy scandal involving baby mama Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner's BFF Jordyn Woods.
But on Tuesday, Tristan Thompson seemed relaxed and happy as he joined his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates and staff at the Quicken Loans Arena for a special lunch to mark Black History Month.
Wearing a black Nike hoodie, Tristan, 27, smiled for the camera in snaps posted to the NBA team's official Instagram.
In the caption to the photos and video shared on social media, the team wrote: 'Today @TheQArena Team Members enjoyed a special #CavsBHC luncheon as part of our month-long salute to #BlackHistoryMonth!
'Last year's #CavsLTK winner, @pearlflowercatering, served up a delicious soul food menu.'
'As an added element, the full squad decided to surprise Team Members by joining them for the lunch.'
On Wednesday, Tristan was seen arriving at a hotel in New York with the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of their game against the Knicks Thursday night.
He tried to keep a low profile wearing the hood of his hoodie up as he exited the team bus.
Asked about the cheating scandal, he didn't respond but continued walking into the hotel surrounded by other players.
Donald Trump's talks with Kim Jong-un ended abruptly on Thursday with the US President saying he was forced to walk away after Kim demanded that all sanctions were lifted in return for giving up only some of his nukes.
Mr Trump told reporters that he remains on good terms with Kim and continued to tout the 'enormous potential' of North Korea, but added: 'Sometimes you have to walk away.'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added: 'We have been working for weeks to find a path forward so we could make a big step at this summit.
'We made progress and even more progress when the two leaders met over the last 48, or 72 hours.
'But we didn't get all the way. We didn't get something that made sense for the United States.'
Both Trump and Pompeo said there was a willingness on both sides to keep talking, but revealed that no follow-up summit has been scheduled.
Trump said that Kim was willing to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear research facility if the US lifted sanctions, but said Kim was unwilling to make a deal on other facilities and weapons, forcing an end to the talks.
Asked whether it was premature to hold the summit now, Trump said he would 'much rather do it right than do it fast' and added that he 'could have signed something today' but didn't feel it was the right deal.
But America and North Korea remain in a position 'to do something very special' together, he said.
The recognition that no joint statement had been reached came despite weeks of advance negotiation.
Her sister Khloe Kardashian split with baby daddy Tristan Thompson last week after he allegedly cheated with Kylie Jenner's best friend, Jordyn Woods.
But on Wednesday night, Kim Kardashian took a break from the drama for dinner at Nobu in Malibu with her husband Kanye West, her sister Kourtney Kardashian, mom Kris Jenner, Corey Gamble and Scott Disick.
They celebrated family friend Jonathan Cheban's 45th birthday at the celebrity hot spot.
The 37-year-old makeup mogul, who shared a sweet PDA moment with Kanye upon arrival to the restaurant, showed off her incredible curves in a denim crop top with matching fitted jeans, adding tan colored heels.
Aliko Dangote, Nigeria's and Africa's richest man gained $5.8bn in one day and his total net worth rose to $16.6bn on Tuesday, making him the world’s 64th richest person.
Dangote's wealth fell from $10.5bn at the end of last year to a low of
$9.63bn on January 1, 2019, but it grew to $10.8bn on Monday, February 25 as confirmed in a report by Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world’s 500 richest people.
However the net worth of Dangote increased by 23 per cent from $13.5bn on February 26, 2018, to $16.6bn, as he gained $5.8bn in one day, emerging 64th richest person in the world. While he is the only Nigerian on the list of 500 billionaires and also retained his position as Africa’s richest person, it should also be noted that his wealth rise by 58 per cent so far this year, emerged the second biggest mover after Andrew Forrest, founder and largest shareholder of Fortescue Metals Group, the world’s fourth-largest iron ore producer. Forrest’s wealth has grown by 59 per cent this year.
The United Kingdom (UK) says Nigerians can have confidence in the outcome of the presidential election that held on Saturday. Harriett Baldwin, UK’s minister of state for Africa, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the result declared was consistent with the civil society parallel vote tabulation process.
“I offer my congratulations to President Buhari on securing a second term as the Nigerian President,” she said in the statement.
“The UK is a long-standing friend and partner of Nigeria and the Nigerian people, and a stable and prosperous Nigeria benefits Africa and the world.
“The Nigerian people have demonstrated resilience and a commitment to democracy. The result declared by the Nigerian election commission is consistent with the result obtained through the civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation process. Along with our international partners, the UK believes the Nigerian people can have confidence in the result.”
Atiku had rejected the result describing the election as the worst in the history of Nigeria. Following the announcement on Wednesday, he said the election witnessed an implementation of grant theft of the people’s will.
Reacting, however, Baldwin urged the opposition to challenge the result in a peaceful manner.
“We also recognise that independent Nigerian voices have expressed concerns about the conduct of the electoral process, in particular logistics and results collation, and reports of intimidation of election officials,” she said.
“We urge any party or individual who wishes to challenge the process to do so peacefully and through the appropriate legal channel and we encourage Nigerian authorities to examine all allegations of wrongdoing carefully, and take the necessary action against individuals found responsible.
“My thoughts are also with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in election-related violence. No one should die in the exercise of their democratic rights. We will continue to support Nigeria and its civil society in drawing lessons from these elections and strengthening its democracy.”
Some soldiers in Yola have killed three persons who were reportedly celebrating the electoral victory of President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in the Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The youth, who woke up to news of the re-election of Buhari for another term, poured out into the streets of major towns in the state.
However, the celebration in the Numan town turned bloody.
This followed an altercation between jubilant Buhari supporters with armed military men stationed near Numan Bridge.
It was gathered that the jubilant youths initially on a peaceful victory procession later became uncontrollable and disorderly as some of them attacked the military personnel who tried to tame their celebration.
The soldiers had allegedly fired warning shots into the air to warn the crowd which started advancing towards them while hurling stones.
The soldiers were said to have fired shots again, which allegedly hit some persons. Three persons were reportedly hit, while their corpses were later deposited by the soldiers in the mortuary of Numan General Hospital.
The police in Yola said they were aware of the clash between the soldiers and youths in the Numan area. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Othman Abubakar, added that the command had, however, yet to get any report.
He said, “There are many reports; but policemen on the ground told us that there were persons that were injured; I cannot confirm any death.”
No fewer than 15 ex-governors will be in the ninth Senate, which will commence in June. Some of the senators-elect are incumbent governors, while others are former governors.
Based on the results of Saturday’s senatorial election released across the country, they include two ex-governors of Abia State, Orji Kalu (Abia North) and his successor, Theodore Orji (Abia Central).
In Borno State, the incumbent Governor, Kashim Shettima, has won the senatorial poll for the state’s central district.
In the Ebonyi North, a former governor, Sam Egwu was re-elected to represent the area. Also re-elected was the ex-Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central).
The incumbent Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, also emerged as the senator-elect for the Imo West amidst controversies.
The Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosu, who represented the Ogun Central District between 2003 and 2007, won the senatorial poll in the district on Saturday.
A former senator and ex-Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, is also returning to the Senate, where he represented Enugu East between 2007 and 2011.
Also, a former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, will be representing the state’s central district.
The current Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Makura, is also heading for the Senate to represent the Nasarawa South.
One of his predecessors, Adamu Abdullahi, secured the third term to represent the Nasarawa West in the Senate.
Another ex-Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, will also return to the Senate for another term to represent the Sokoton North.
Among the senators-elect is the incumbent Governor of Yobe State, Ibrahim Geidam, who won the poll to represent Yobe East.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdul’Aziz Yari, also clinched the senatorial seat for Zamfara West.
A former Governor of Kebbi Statel, Adamu Aliero, has also won a third term in the Senate, where he is representing the Kebbi Central District.
Two current governors, Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Ibrahim Dankawmbo (Gombe) lost last Saturday’s senatorial election as they were defeated by the PDP candidates.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Wednesday reserved judgments in the four separate appeals filed by the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnghen, in connection with his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The suspended CJN, had, by one of his appeals, challenged the jurisdiction of the CCT to hear the non-declaration of assets charges instituted against him before the CCT.
Another of the appeals challenged the ex-parte order which
President Muhammadu Buhari relied on to suspend the CJN and appointed Justice Tanko Muhammad as the acting CJN. The third appeal challenged the CCT’s refusal to be bound by the orders made by the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court directing the tribunal to halt the CJN’s trial.
The last one asked the court to set aside the arrest warrant issued against him by the CCT on February 13.
On Wednesday, a three-man bench of the court, led by Justice Steven Adah, finally heard the four appeals and reserved judgments after the cases had been previously adjourned on three occasions.
Justice Adah, who led Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson and Justice Peter Ige, said the date for judgments would be communicated to the parties.
At the Wednesday’s hearing, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) led the suspended CJN’s legal team, but yielded the floor to Chief Chris Uche (SAN), a member of the team, to make a short oral argument in support of the briefs filed.
The Federal Government’s team was led by Mr Aliyu Umar (SAN), who also argued the respondent’s briefs and the notices of preliminary objection filed against Onnoghen’s appeals.
In his argument, Uche urged the court to dismiss the notices of preliminary objection filed against the appeals and grant the prayers in them.
He also urged the court to “examine” the circumstances leading to the granting of the ex parte order, which he said did not show that any lawyer applied for it.
He added, “The order has a far-reaching consequence on the rule of law; ought not to have been made ex parte.
“We urge your lordships to set aside that ex parte order which asked the appellant to step aside and allow this appeal.”
On his part, Aliyu urged the Court of Appeal to uphold his notices of preliminary objection to the appeals, which he said lacked merit.
He added that the court could not “examine” the circumstances surrounding the CCT’s ex parte order, as neither the appellant nor the respondent exhibited the ex parte application which led to the granting of the tribunal’s order.
Umar said, “Neither of the parties had exhibited the ex parte application, which we all admitted was filed – we did not file it, they did not file it too.
“Therefore, there is no sufficient material to enable your lordships to look into the circumstances surrounding the granting of the order.”
But Uche, in his further reply, said since there was no doubt that the ex parte application was filed. The record of the CCT’s January 23 proceedings when the CCT granted the order was exhibited and served as enough material for the court to conduct its examination into how the CCT issued the order.
The Danladi Umar-led CCT had, however, on February 15 withdrew the arrest warrant following Justice Onnoghen’s appearance before the tribunal.
The tribunal had fixed March 11 for the hearing of other pending applications filed by Onnoghen, who had pleaded not guilty to the six counts instituted against him.
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday said it was wrong for the military to attempt to parade state government officials who were on election duties.
Wike also said the state Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Dr Reason Onya, called him (governor) when he was arrested by soldiers for being among approved Peoples Democratic Party agents.
The governor, who spoke in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, explained that he never attempted to induce any officer of the Nigerian Army.
Wike pointed out that he requested to speak with an officer to demand the release of Onya, who was on legal electoral function for the PDP. He said the officer, who declined talking, called back later and he informed him that Onya was on a legal assignment.
According to him, no bribe was offered to the officer of the Nigerian Army.
“The army cannot be a judge in their matter. You cannot parade officials on legal electoral duties. You cannot change the narrative. They have violated all known laws,” he said.
Wike insisted that the state government had written to the International Criminal Court to prosecute the General Officer Commanding of 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Jamil Sarhem, for crimes against humanity.
He stated instead of running in circles, the GOC should explain to Nigerians the reasons the military stormed the collation centres in Ikwerre, Emohua and Okrika.
The governor stated that the issuing of false statement by the GOC, 6 Division, would not save him (GOC) from prosecution.
He said, “We are doing a petition to the International Criminal Court. We are demanding justice for all those killed by the GOC and his lieutenants.
“We will also send a petition to all the major embassies in the country on the atrocities committed against Rivers people by the GOC and his soldiers. We have also sent a petition to the Chief of Army Staff on the criminal actions of the GOC”.
Wike stated that he had credible intelligence that the GOC had concluded plans to open fire on his convoy, with the objective of causing a deadly shoot-out.
