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Peter Obi, LP rest case at the Presidential Election Petition Court against Tinubu.

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Peter Obi, LP rest case at the Presidential Election Petition Court against Tinubu.

 

NaijaNews reports that Mr. Peter Obi and his Labour Party (LP) closed their petition at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) on Friday, without presenting 37 of the 50 witnesses promised.

Obi and LP are complainants in the petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023, challenging the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 25 February election.

Respondents in the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The petitioners were given 21 days to prove their case against the respondents before the court.

But as they rested their case on Friday, only 13 witnesses testified. The remaining 37 did not show up.

Earlier, Counsel to the petitioners, Livy Uzoukwu SAN, informed the court that their 12th witness, Yunusa Tanko, was in court to be cross examined by the respondents.

Counsel to the respondents are Kemi Pinhero SAN for INEC, Wole Olanipekun SAN for Tinubu and Shettima, while Lateef Fagbemi SAN represented APC.

The 12th witness (PW12) was Yunusa Tanko, member of LP Situation Room, who testified and some documents were tendered through him.

Being cross examined by INEC, the witness told the court that the results given to them were mutilated and not readable.

When asked by Olanipekun how many party agents his party had during the election, he said over 130,000 while there were 176,974 polling units through the federation.

Tanko was also asked what he wanted the court to do with the 12 states where LP won and what would happen to Atiku Abubakar, who was declared 2nd.

He said that he was challenging the entire results of the election because after four months of the election, the results are still being downloaded from the IreV.

When asked by Fagbemi on why he did not provide the number of unlawful votes, he claimed that their expert had already given evidence on the number of disputed votes.

The respondents tendered through the witness judgments of Federal High Court, with FHC/ABJ/1454/2022, delivered on Jan. 23, 2023, concerning LP vs INEC.

Tendered also was a SC/CV/501/2023, Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 26, 2023, between PDP and INEC with three others.

The petitioners objected to the admissibility of the documents and reserved their reason in their final written addresses.

The court however admitted and marked the documents as exhibits.

Peter Yari, PW 13 , an adhoc staff of INEC, also gave his evidence.

Counsel for the petitioners, Uzoukwu after the testimony of PW13, informed the court that they are closing their case.

The respondents prayed the court to give them till next week to go home and celebrate the Sallah with their families and come back by July 3 to open their case.

The five-member panel presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned until July 3, for the respondents to open their case.

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Tinubu’s Government of National Unity loses Kwankwaso.

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Tinubu's Government of National Unity loses Kwankwaso.

Tinubu’s Government of National Unity loses Kwankwaso.

The NNPP has also resolved to provide the needed opposition to the All Progressives Congress (APC). NaijNews reports.

A source within the party disclosed that the NNPP has “carefully reviewed the situation on ground with regards to our relationship with the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government and we have decided not to be part of it.”

The source also said that the party has “been observing all the programmes, actions and policies of this government since it came on board, and we have decided that they (the actions) are clearly anti-people and are at odds with the philosophy and aspirational goals of our party.”

Additionally, according to the source, the NNPP has also expressed concern about the involvement of personalities with corruption allegations in the government.

“We have continued to see people with allegations of corruption and corrupt practices trailing them being made to play an important role in government,” the source said. “This runs contrary to the ethos and philosophy of our party which is made up of decent and responsible members of the public who are public spirited and development oriented.”

Prior to the release of ministerial nominees by Tinubu, there were reports that he planned to bring the opposition party into the fold to form a rumoured government of national unity.

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Ganduje, Al-Makura, Ebute line up for Adamu’s replacement as APC Chair

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Ganduje, Al-Makura, Ebute line up for Adamu’s replacement as APC Chair

 

NaijaNews reports that a major task before the All Progressives Congress, APC, is who replaces Abdullahi Adamu as the party’s National Chairman.

A few days ago, Adamu and Iyiola Omisore, APC’s National Secretary, resigned from their positions without explaining the reasons for their action.

Their resignation was confirmed by the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, which appointed its Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Abubakar Kyari, as interim Chairman.

While in office, Adamu is believed to have endured a frosty relationship with President Bola Tinubu, a situation which became more visible when Adamu disowned the list of Principal Officers named in the National Assembly.

But the Progressive Governors Forum endorsed the new officers.

The party’s former National Chairman had stressed that APC’s NWC was unaware of the list transmitted to the Senate and House of Representatives.

“I am just hearing it as a rumour from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives.

“The national headquarters of the party, the NWC, has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices,” Adamu said about the list.

Amid the misunderstanding, APC has maintained that there is no crisis within the ruling party.

There are feelers that President Bola Tinubu has sealed a deal with governors of the party to settle for the former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje as Adamu’s replacement.

With the curtain already drawn on Adamu as APC National Chairman, some names have emerged as possible successors.

Tanko Al-Makura

A former Nasarawa South Senator, has been tipped by some stakeholders as the best person to replace Adamu.

Al-Makura, who is a former governor of Nasarawa State, has been described as a man with the relevant qualities to head the APC.

A Forum of State Chairmen of Defunct Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, described the former governor as a unifier and bridge builder.

They said that Al-Makura’s emergence would promote cohesion within the party.

Endorsing Al-Makura for the role of the APC National Chairman, the group said: “The Forum for State Chairmen of the Defunct CPC is of the considered opinion that Al-Makura is the best hand for the vacant seat.

“This is sequel to the recent resignation of the immediate past National Chairman of the APC and the need to search for a capable, experienced and reliable personality to occupy the seat.”

According to them, Al-Makura has, over the years, exemplified remarkable leadership roles needed to lead the governing party.

Ameh Ebute

He is the sixth President of the Nigerian Senate during the third Republic who hails from the North Central area of Nigeria.

In July 2023, Ebute had declared his interest to become APC’s National Chairman following Adamu’s resignation.

Ebute said he is ready to sacrifice himself as he did alongside President Bola Tinubu during the heydays of the military for APC to move forward.

Simon Lalong

The former governor of Plateau State is believed to be eying the office of the APC National Chairman.

Like Ebute, the former APC presidential campaign Director-General hails from the North Central which the ruling party, according to feelers, might zone its National Chairmanship to.

Abdullahi Ganduje

Lately, the two-time governor has been in the news over his likely emergence as Adamu’s replacement.

Reports have it that President Bola Tinubu is backing Ganduje to replace Adamu.

Despite the reports, a former acting National Chairman of APC, Hilliard Eta, said Tinubu has not revealed his choice.

Speaking with DAILY POST, the ex-National Vice Chairman, South-South, said: “I’m conscious of the sensibilities of Nigerians towards zoning.

“I’m conscious of the dictates of the constitution of our party, but I’m also conscious of Mr President’s leadership of our party.

“This President will sell the best interest of the party, and for the position of the National Chairmanship, I sincerely yield to the position of Mr President, and if he makes his choice, I will stand by him 100 percent.

“Though Mr President has not made his decision, I hear there is a NEC meeting, and I believe that his choice would be made known.”

On his part, a former National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena warned over the constitution of the party’s leadership.

Nabena wondered why the party would consider zoning the office of the National Chairman to the Northwest after it initially zoned it to North Central.

“Whoever they like, they should bring, it was zoned to the North Central, but they want to take it to the Northwest.

“If they want to do that, it’s not a problem, but the party will continue to fight and will not get it right until they do the right thing,” Nabena told DAILY POST.

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APC crisis: Pressure mounts on Adamu to resign

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APC crisis: Pressure mounts on Adamu to resign

AHEAD of this week’s meeting of the National Caucus and National Executive Committee, NEC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, strong indications emerged that the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore are under pressure to resign.

Vanguard gathered that some leaders of the party had been going about with a list of alleged “sins” committed by Adamu against President Bola Tinubu weeks before the latter declared his interest to vie for the presidency last year.

An APC official, who is privy to the internal workings of the party, disclosed that the NEC meeting, slated for Tuesday, is likely to approve a timetable for a midterm elective convention to fill party vacancies.

The party leader said: “Consequently, there are some forces within the party who are likely to meet with Adamu on Sunday night or early Monday to pressure him into resigning rather than been shown the exit door.

“As you know, many of the new state governors have not made all their appointments. Even at that, some party officials have been appointed into government.

“At the national level, it is very likely that some national officers or members of the National Working Committee NWC would be appointed into government. Once that is done, there will be vacancies which would be filled through the convention. The convention could also provide a window to get Adamu out.”

Another source informed Vanguard that the move to oust Adamu would also see Omisore being eased out of the equation as some aggrieved members of the NWC have consistently accused him of running the party alone with Adamu.

The party official said the controversial audit report of the party would be part of the issues to use against Adamu.

He said: “Under our constitution, only the NEC of the party can appoint an external auditor to audit the accounts of the party but Adamu, after being forced to render financial accounts, decided to enlist his own auditor, bypassing NEC. He thereafter presented the report of his auditors to the NWC for ratification. The party has an auditor. Adamu should simply have allowed him to do his job and present his report to the NWC. After that, the NWC will go through the report of the National Auditor, deliberate on it and present to NEC, which has the powers to appoint an external auditor to go through our accounts. But this has not been the case.”

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