Cloned Nigerian Anchor

Author: Vivian Michael

INEC Chairman evading our subpoena, Obi tells Tribunal

The Labour Party, LP and it’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, on Wednesday revealed that their attempt to serve the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chairman, Prof Yakubu Mahmoud with a subpoena has been abortive.

The Petitioners, through their Counsel, Livy Uzoukwu SAN, drew the attention of the court to the subpoena which was to furnish them with certain documents.

He added that he spoke to the lead counsel to INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud who promised to help out.

He therefore, asked for an adjournment until tomorrow.

“We have drawn the attention of Abubakar Mahmoud SAN on the failed attempt to subpoena INEC and the office of the INEC to produce certain documents despite efforts of the bailiff of the court.

“He asked for a copy of the subpoena which I couldn’t produce at that time, but he suggested I give to any member of the team in court .

“I am confident we will do the needful and we will continue tomorrow.

Responding, Counsel to INEC, Kemi Pinhero, SAN, told the court that the petitioner’s counsel should stop using INEC as ‘a weeping boy.’

“It is not correct that the office of the INEC chairman refused to be served, but PDP served several documents and received replies,” she said.

He added that it has become the habit of the petitioners each time they want an adjournment to find a blame on INEC.

“It has become a habit, whenever they want an adjournment, they will look for someone to whip. I have no privy that he had any discussion with AB Mahmoud.

“We have no ideal of subpoena served and the refusal. PDP served us, we received and file our reply.

“Everytime the matter came up, they keep saying INEC is refusing a document.

“If they want an adjournment, they should ask for it and we will not be objecting. The reason on not accepting or refusing service is absolutely not correct. It is very uncharitable,” INEC defended.

Other respondents’ counsel however, did not object to the prayer for adjournment.

Meanwhile, the five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned until tomorrow (Thursday) for further hearing of the petition.

06/14/2023
Tribunal: Mahmood to testify for Atiku

All things being equal, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmood, will on Thursday June 15, appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court ( PEPC) to give evidence in a petition by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President.

Mahmood has already been subpoenaed by Atiku’s legal team led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, Uche announced to the Court that the INEC chairman will, during his appearance testify on the conduct of the disputed Presidential election and also tender some sensitive documents in aid of the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Uche however, did not disclose the nature of documents the INEC chief would be required to tender.

The senior lawyer told Justice Haruna Tsammani led panel that he decided to make the announcement in a bid to bring Mahmood before the court on Thursday so that the respondents, especially Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), would not be caught unawares.

At the proceedings, Atiku called his first star witness, Dr Alex Adum Ter, a legal practitioner and former Attorney General of Benue State, who in his testimony, alleged that the presidential election was marred with a lot of irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.

The witness, who was the National Coordinator, Situation Room for PDP on the February 25 presidential election had tendered three different video clips featuring Mahmood, INEC’s Commissioner in charge of Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, who in their broadcast assured Nigerians that presidential election results would be electronically transmitted to make the election credible and transparent.

The third video involving an European Union Election Observer Mission was admitted as exhibits by the court, alongside Guidelines for Election Officers 2022 and Manual for Election Guidelines 2023.

Although, Tinubu and APC objected vehemently against the admissibility of the documents, Justice Tsammani admitted them after which the video clips were played in the open court.

The witness also tendered screen shots of the IReV portal.

Under cross examination by INEC’s lawyer, Mr Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, the witness admitted that he was not at the National Collation Centre but was at the PDP situation room in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He also admitted not being an ICT expert but that he based his report from information obtained from agents of the PDP at the collation centres.

The witness faulted INEC for not transmitting presidential election results electronically, adding that calculation errors led the electoral body into grave errors .

Also cross examined by Chief Akin Olujimi SAN, who represented President Tinubu, the witness said that he came to the conclusion that the presidential election was invalid by reason of corrupt electoral practices as related to him by PDP agents.

Meanwhile, further hearing in the petition has been shifted to June 14.

06/13/2023
Tribunal: Obi tenders 188 evidences against Tinubu

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Gregory Obi tendered additional 188 exhibits to substantiate allegations of malpractices in the conduct of the February 25 presidential election.

The exhibits, mainly results sheets and reports used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the election were tendered at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) and admitted as exhibits to be used to determine the legality or otherwise of Tinubu’s return as the President.

Obi, through Mr Peter Afoba, SAN tendered forms EC40GPU, EC40G1 and reports prepared by the electoral body after the election.

Forms EC40GPU are INEC forms used for entering complaints from electoral officials.

The breakdown showed that 45 EC40GPU forms were tendered in 10 Local Government Areas of Niger State, 23 in seven Local Government Areas of Osun, 17 in three Local Government Areas of Edo State, and 52 EC40GPU forms in five Local Government Areas of Sokoto were tendered.

Obi also tendered 15 forms EC40G in 8 Local Government Areas of Osun State, 12 forms EC40G1 in 12 Local Government Areas of Edo, 15 forms EC40G in four Local Government Areas of Sokoto and 9 forms EC40G1 in two Local Government Areas of Sokoto.

Besides, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate also tendered 5 Reports on the conduct of the election in Niger State and 8 in Edo to back up his allegations of malpractices during the conduct of the election.

Notwithstanding the objections to the admissibility of the evidence from the Respondents, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani admitted them as exhibits.

Also, Obi tendered INEC Results Viewing (IRev) reports in 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, 20 in Ogun State, 16 in Ekiti State, 19 in Rivers State, and 25 Akwa Ibom State.

Meanwhile, the Court has shifted further hearing in the petition to June 14.

06/13/2023
NDLEA intercepts UK-bound skunk, tramadol pills in women’s hair

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a consignment of 3.20kg skunk concealed in native black soap heading to the United Kingdom.

The Director, Media and Advocacy (NDLEA), Mr Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that the drugs were intercepted at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Lagos on Wednesday.

He said that a freight agent involved in the attempt to export the illicit drug was arrested.

Similarly, a bid to export 3,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg concealed inside women’s hair attachments to Monrovia, Liberia, by a cargo agent, through the MMIA was thwarted by NDLEA operatives.

Babafemi said that the NDLEA operatives arrested the agent during the outward clearance of passengers at the departure gate of terminal 2 of the Lagos airport.

Also, in Benue, a suspect was arrested during a routine stop and search of vehicles at the Vandeikya checkpoint with a total of 61,790 pills of tramadol on Thursday.

Babafemi said that another suspect was nabbed at Otuo-Agor, Owan East LGA, Edo with 208kg cannabis hidden in his Toyota Camry car marked ABJ 117 MR.

“No less than 235 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 23.5 litres and 1,500 pills of Tramadol and Swinol were recovered on Friday from a 35-year-old man, along Owerri- Onitsha expressway, Imo.

“NDLEA operatives in Ondo state arrested two suspects with 30kg cannabis at B-Ali Junction.

“10.4kg of the same substance were recovered from the home of a fleeing suspect at Oke Odowo, Idanre on June 6 when operatives raided some drug joints in the town,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Kebbi, two middle-aged persons were arrested on Thursday at Goran Maiyaki, Gwandu LGA with 5.9kg of cannabis and 3,792 tablets of diazepam.

Babafemi said that an 18-year-old man was nabbed on Friday along Mararaban Yauri-Kebbi road, with 6kg of cannabis and 658 tablets of diazepam.

He added that a total of 115.9kg ofcannabis was recovered from a suspect at Araromi Oke Odo in Ife South LGA, Osun.

He added that two suspects were nabbed at Gbokuta village in the same LGA on Monday.

06/11/2023
Tribunal: Atiku calls 18th witness to prove fraud in presidential election

Presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has called two additional witnesses to further prove his allegation of malpractice at the Feb. 25 election.

The two make a total of 18 witnesses he has so far called out of 100 witnesses planned for the exercise.

Abubakar and his party filed their petitions against the election of President Bola Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC at the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja.

They are challenging the outcome of the election on the ground that INEC, the electoral umpire, did not conduct the election in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

At the resumed hearing on Saturday, one of Abubakar’s new witnesses, Ms Alheri Ayuba, said she was unhappy at her inability to upload results from her polling unit unto INEC’s Result Viewing Portal.

“There was a form that I filled at the ward centre where I stated that I was not happy at my inability to transmit the result.

“I could not log into the INEC portal. If I had logged into the system and posted the result perhaps it could have “pending’’ status and when network is restored, it would upload,’’ she said.

The witness also told the court that she was not induced or influenced by any politician before or during the election.

The second witness, Ms Sadiya Haruna, told the court that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machine she used malfunctioned.

Haruna told the court that the result she entered manually at her polling unit was what she took to the ward collation officer and that party agents assigned to the unit monitored the entire process.

She said she took a photo shot of the result as collated manually on the result sheet with the BVAS machine, but that she couldn’t ascertain whether it was retained in the machine or not.

Earlier, INEC’s counsel, Mr Kemi Pinhero (SAN) and Mr Akin Olujimi (SAN) counsel for President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima, objected to the admission of the witnesses’ statements in evidence.

Mr Abiodun Fashanu (SAN), counsel for APC aligned with their objection.

The counsel submitted that their reason for objecting to the admission of the witnesses’ statements on oath would be advanced at the stage of final addresses.

They, however, did not oppose the invitation of the witnesses to testify before the court as well as the presentation of their letters of employment as Presiding Officers for the election by INEC.

Abubakar’s counsel, Mr Chris Uche (SAN) who led both witnesses in evidence prayed the court to discountenance objections by the respondents and admit the witnesses’ testimonies.

Presiding Justice Haruna Tsammani reserved ruling on the objections until the final judgment.

Justice Tsammani also adjourned further hearing in the petition till June 13.

06/10/2023
Tribunal dismisses LP, Obi’s request to question INEC on technology deployed

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) on Saturday dismissed the application filed by the Labour Party and Mr. Peter Obi seeking an order to question INEC on the technology it deployed for the conduct of the general elections.

Obi and LP are petitioners in the petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023 challenging the election which brought President Bola Tinubu into power.

Respondents are the INEC, President Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima, and All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ruling on the application, the five-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani held that it lacked the jurisdiction to grant the request as it was brought outside the pre-hearing session and therefore incompetent.

“It is an afterthought on the grounds that the pre-hearing period to file such an application elapsed on May 22.

“I have not disputed the fact that they did not call the attention of the court during the pre-hearing session.”

“It is for the applicant to take a step towards the hearing of his motion on notice. The court cannot do that for him.

“The petitioners’ counsel are very conversant with the provisions of the law and did not ask for an extension of time.

”They rather seek to employ the right to fair hearing as a magic wand to escape the consequence of their failure to comply with the law and blame the court for its inaction” the court held.

The court also held that the applicants failed to disclose any extreme circumstance that stopped them from filing within the statutory time.

In a unanimous decision, the court stated that motions cannot be heard at the hearing session and as such can be deemed abandoned.

”Their application is incompetent and the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain it and accordingly, the application is struck out,” It held.

The petitioners, among other reasons for disputing the outcome of the elections, are accusing the electoral umpire of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

Their concerns also included failure to transmit the results of the presidential election in real-time on the INEC results viewing portal as assured.

In their effort to support the grounds of their petition, the petitioners had asked the court to permit them to question INEC.

On the technology deployed to conduct the election including the quality of the ICT experts who oversaw the conduct of the election.

In two applications, the petitioners through their lawyer, Patrick Ikweto, SAN, urged the court to order INEC to supply the names and other details of its ICT professionals that deployed electronic devices for the conduct of the election.

Specifically, the petitioners maintained that given INEC’s reply to their petition, it should be compelled to answer 12 questions posed to them.

They added the date the electoral body conducted functionality tests on the system it deployed for the elections, as well as the names and details of those that conducted the test.

They further required INEC to answer the following questions: “Who created/deployed the four (4) Applications Patches/Updates to fix the HTTP 500 error that prevented the e-transmission of the results of the Presidential election on 25th February 2023?

“What was the exact time of the occurrence of the technical glitch which prevented the e-transmission of the result of the Presidential election on 25th February 2023?

“What time were the technological glitches fixed and or repaired?

“What percentage of the result of the Presidential election was uploaded on the I-Rev on Feb. 25?

“What percentage of the result of the Presidential election was uploaded on the I-Rev at the time of the declaration of the Result of the Presidential election on March 1?”

06/10/2023
SERAP sues Tinubu over ‘missing $2.1bn, N3.1trn subsidy payments’

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over “missing subsidy payments”.

The organisation is seeking a probe of allegations that $2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion budgeted as fuel subsidy payments are unaccounted for.

The suit followed the grim allegations documented by the Auditor-General of the Federation in the 2016 and 2019 annual reports that the public funds are missing.

In the suit, number FHC/L/CS/1107/23 filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus to compel Tinubu to act.

It wants the President to direct the anti-corruption agencies to probe subsidy payments made by governments since 1999, name and prosecute suspected perpetrators and recover missing funds.

The recovered proceeds should be used as palliatives to address the impact of the subsidy removal on poor Nigerians, the suit demanded.

The group said misuse of public monies was a “fundamental breach of anti-corruption laws and international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a party.”

“The Tinubu government has constitutional and international legal obligations to get to the bottom of these allegations and ensure accountability for these serious crimes against the Nigerian people,” SERAP added.

06/10/2023
Court dismisses suit seeking Buhari’s tenure elongation

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking the tenure elongation of former President Muhammadu Buhari pending when the presidential election petitions tribunal will deliver its judgment.

The Plaintiffs had also sought an order from the court directing the former President not to hand over to President Bola Tinubu until the petitions at the tribunal are finally disposed of.

They had also prayed for an order of the court directing the CJN not to administer the oath of office to President Bola Tinubu.

At Friday’s proceedings where the matter was slated for mention, the plaintiffs and their counsel were absent from court.

At the last adjourned date of 9th June, the plaintiffs were also absent from court.

The court had ordered the registry of the court to serve the plaintiffs with the hearing notice.

Today, the plaintiffs, having taken hints from the court’s previous judgments on cases with similar subject-matter, avoided the court, as neither they nor their counsel was present in court.

The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that already the plaintiffs were duly informed about today’s proceedings, but they decided to run away knowing that their prayers were unconstitutional.

The court noted that if the plaintiffs were present in court, orders would have been made against them.

The court subsequently dismissed the suit.

06/09/2023
We were told not to give results to agents who refused to sign – INEC Staff

A staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abedemi Joseph on Friday told the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, that they were instructed by their employer not to give copies of election results to political parties’ agents who declined to sign the results.

The Subpoenaed witness of PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar revealed this in court.

Led in evidence-in-chief by the petitioners’ lead counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, Joseph prayed the court to adopt her witness statement on oath as her evidence in the petition against the victory of Tinubu.

Joseph, who was a presiding officer in Niger State during the February 25 presidential elections, told the court that she was satisfied with the process as instructed.

She however said that they had instructions not to give out results of the election to party agents who did not sign the result sheet.

Also testifying, a presiding agent in Edo State during the election, told the court that she tried in vain to upload the presidential election results to the INEC server.

While another Subpoenaed witness from Kogi State, Grace Ajagbonna also affirmed the peaceful conduct of the election, she said she was not happy that she could not upload the presidential election results as instructed.

Ajagbonna, responding to INEC counsel as to whether she was happy with the conduct of the election and her work as presiding officer, said, “I was not happy that I was unable to transmit the results to the server.”

However, INEC, represented by Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN; APC, represented by Lateef Fagbemi, SAN and other respondents objected to the use of statements made on oath by the subpoenaed witnesses to be tendered at the Tribunal in aid of Atiku’s petition.

Counsel to Atiku, Chris Uche SAN, urged the court to discountance their objections and grant their request.

The five-man panel headed by Justice, Haruna Tsammani reserved ruling on the applications.

Meanwhile, the Court has adjourned further hearing to June 10.

06/09/2023
CBN partners UNIUYO on sensitisation of e-naira policy

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has solicited a partnership with the University of Uyo for the sensitisation of the institution’s staff and students on the usage of e-naira policy in daily business transactions.

The Controller of CBN, Uyo Branch, Mrs Mercy Ogbomonpaul, made the call while interacting with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, in Uyo on Thursday.

Ogbomonpaul, who was represented by Assistant Director, CBN, Mr Isang Enya, said that the e-naira policy would aid monetary policy decision-making and urged Nigerians to embrace the policy.

She said that the sensitisation program was to educate the University community on the system and encourage them to key into it.

She said that the e-naira platform had been introduced into the country since 2021 for citizens to embrace for their daily businesses.

Ogbomonpaul said Nigeria was the seventh nation to introduce e-naira, adding that other countries had gone beyond the physical cash payment and were now using the e-payment system.

“We are here to partner with you on the e-naira; globally, the economy is now going e-payment and not cash payment as it is known in our environment.

“The Central Bank in its wisdom, in line with best practices, adopted the e-naira platform.

“The e-naira is expected to help us to be in par with what other countries are doing; the unfolding trend now is that we use e-payment rather than the physical cash.

According to her, e-naira is an initiative of the Central Bank that will work at par with the physical cash.

Ogbomonpaul said the e-naira could be used in transaction rather than physical cash, adding that the e-naira would help in handling the deficiencies noticed and experienced in the use of cash.

She said the e-naira would also help in policy-making in terms of monetary policy decisions as decisions are made based on available information.

“If we are all on the e-naira platform, the Central bank would be able to ascertain how much has been transacted in the e-naira platform;

“And make policy decisions for our monetary policy in the country,” she said.

The branch controller added that the e-naira would make our payment system more viable and bring more people into the system.

She said, “It is simple, it is easy, and will allow the government to get its revenues in terms of payment very easily.”

Responding, Ndaeyo said the institution was happy to be a part of the initiative and would partner with CBN on the e-naira policy.

Ndaeyo said that the university was also willing to partner with the CBN in the area of agriculture.

He urged the apex bank to go beyond the shores of the university, into the communities to sensitise people on the e-Naira.

The vice-chancellor, however, commended the Central Bank for the introduction of e-naira into the payment system in the country, urging everyone to embrace the system.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has solicited a partnership with the University of Uyo for the sensitisation of the institution’s staff and students on the usage of e-naira policy in daily business transactions.

The Controller of CBN, Uyo Branch, Mrs Mercy Ogbomonpaul, made the call while interacting with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, in Uyo on Thursday.

Ogbomonpaul, who was represented by Assistant Director, CBN, Mr Isang Enya, said that the e-naira policy would aid monetary policy decision-making and urged Nigerians to embrace the policy.

She said that the sensitisation program was to educate the University community on the system and encourage them to key into it.

She said that the e-naira platform had been introduced into the country since 2021 for citizens to embrace for their daily businesses.

Ogbomonpaul said Nigeria was the seventh nation to introduce e-naira, adding that other countries had gone beyond the physical cash payment and were now using the e-payment system.

“We are here to partner with you on the e-naira; globally, the economy is now going e-payment and not cash payment as it is known in our environment.

“The Central Bank in its wisdom, in line with best practices, adopted the e-naira platform.

“The e-naira is expected to help us to be in par with what other countries are doing; the unfolding trend now is that we use e-payment rather than the physical cash.

According to her, e-naira is an initiative of the Central Bank that will work at par with the physical cash.

Ogbomonpaul said the e-naira could be used in transaction rather than physical cash, adding that the e-naira would help in handling the deficiencies noticed and experienced in the use of cash.

She said the e-naira would also help in policy-making in terms of monetary policy decisions as decisions are made based on available information.

“If we are all on the e-naira platform, the Central bank would be able to ascertain how much has been transacted in the e-naira platform;

“And make policy decisions for our monetary policy in the country,” she said.

The branch controller added that the e-naira would make our payment system more viable and bring more people into the system.

She said, “It is simple, it is easy, and will allow the government to get its revenues in terms of payment very easily.”

Responding, Ndaeyo said the institution was happy to be a part of the initiative and would partner with CBN on the e-naira policy.

Ndaeyo said that the university was also willing to partner with the CBN in the area of agriculture.

He urged the apex bank to go beyond the shores of the university, into the communities to sensitise people on the e-Naira.

The vice-chancellor, however, commended the Central Bank for the introduction of e-naira into the payment system in the country, urging everyone to embrace the system.

06/08/2023