Governor Sanwo-Olu Visits Bishop Oyedepo

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, revealed that he paid a visit to the bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, on Monday.

The governor, who shared a picture of both of them on his Instagram page wrote, 

Yesterday, was indeed a memorable day as I met with a man after God’s own heart, a man who has dedicated his life to the service of God and mankind, Bishop David Oyedepo founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide and presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State.

INEC’s Power To Return Candidate Dangerous — Wole Olanipekun

 Former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, has criticised Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 on Wednesday, which empowered the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission to return a candidate and also review his decision.

Olanipekun, who said that the act is dangerous to the polity and democracy, said[b] “the returning officer is not a court of law, not a tribunal, and is not vested with jurisdiction to exercise quasi-decision or to assume jurisdiction over any matter that is judicial in nature.”[/b]

Section 65(1) of the Electoral Act states, “The decision of the returning officer shall be final on any question arising from or relating to (a) unmarked ballot paper; (b) rejected ballot paper; and (c) the declaration of scores of candidates and the return of a candidate: 

Provided that the commission shall have the power within seven days to review the declaration and return where the commission determines that the said declaration and return was not made voluntarily or was made contrary to the provisions of the law, regulations, guidelines, and manual for the election.”

However, the legal luminary, who spoke in a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, after a visit to Governor Biodun Oyebanji, said, “The Chief Returning Officer is the Chairman of INEC, meaning he can return someone as President today and tomorrow when there are agitations here and there, he may withdraw his decision, saying, ‘I am revising myself, and I am now returning somebody else’.

“To me, it is a very dangerous section, so novel in the sense that it empowers a returning officer after returning to review his decision within seven days.”

According to him, with that section of the Electoral Act, “You are giving a returning officer and, by extension, INEC, the power to do and undo. When you now invest in an INEC returning officer, the ability to do and undo, to return and review his decision, is dangerous to the polity.”

Olanipekun, who said he was not aware of any similar section in any previous Electoral Act or any similar section in any of the electoral acts of any country in the world, expressed surprise that the National Assembly allowed that section to creep into the Electoral Act, which they submitted to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), for signing.

The legal luminary, who said the National Assembly could still remove the provision, called on all stakeholders, particularly the political parties, to monitor INEC and the returning officers so that nothing untoward happens to any party or candidate returning to be revised.

2023: Pro-Tinubu Group Stages Protest In Abuja, Warns Atiku, Obi

 A group of protesters on Monday staged a demonstration in the federal capital territory (FCT), warning Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP), against intimidating the judiciary.

The group known as The Natives said both candidates should allow the courts to address their grievances without intimidating them.

Speaking with reporters, Smart Edwards, leader of the group, said Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election because he was better prepared.

Edwards said it is time for the PDP candidate to retire from politics.

“The Obidients should understand that Asiwaju is a political juggernaut and election strategist. They were all part of the plan because the candidature of Peter Obi was an asset to the APC,” he said.

“The Obidients made Tinubu’s victory easy, they all made it possible. Ordinarily, it should have been Obi or Tinubu. Tinubu was not in the best position to steal the election but he planned well and worked vigorously for victory.

“We also have a message for the PDP candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Your Excellency, it is your time to test the court and not to intimidate the court. It is your time to retreat and retire or reset and re-contest again if your party is not tired of you.

“Your inability to be consistent in a party like Bola Ahmed Tinubu shows it is all about you alone. No sir, the Supreme court is not about you, the Appeal court is not about you, and even the Tribunal is not about you, it is about rule of law.

[b]“So, today we are putting the nation on notice that no one will be allowed to intimidate the Nigerian judiciary any longer, we will not entertain it. These judges and the judiciary are the most crucial party of the hope that democracy holds.

“We want to say categorically that Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC won the election. The Lagos state he lost should have been a taboo but the Democrat in him publicly accepted the outcome without calling for anybody’s head.”

Falana: 2023 Presidential Election Marred By Manipulation Of Results

 A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said that the 2023 presidential election was marred by result manipulations. 

Falana stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

Other factors, according to the lawyer, that marred the elections included insecurity, late arrival of materials, violence and thuggary.

Recall INEC has declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the presidential election, but the two other leading political parties in the election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), have since rejected the results.

Falana said, “The presidential and National Assembly elections were marred by insecurity in many places, late arrival of materials, violence and thuggary and manipulation of the results.

“INEC has admitted that there were logistic and technological challenges. Nobody is saying that the election was perfectly conducted. There are challenges.

“INEC should go back to the drawing table and fine-tune its strategy. They said they painstakingly made plans to conduct elections, but the implementation had some challenges. To me, this is an admission on the part of INEC.”

Police Declare Bauchi Lawmaker, Yakubu Abdullahi Shehu Wanted

The Nigeria police has declared a member of the House of Representatives, Bauchi Federal Constituency, Yakubu Abdullahi Shehu, wanted, IGBERETV reports.

A gazette citing CRO Form 5 issued from the Office of the Inspector General of Police, says Yakubu is being wanted in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, inciting disturbance of public peace, and culpable homicide.

The police is asking anyone with useful information about his whereabouts to contact them, promising N1m as a bounty on the lawmaker.
 

Nasir El-Rufai: I am ready to swear, I have never stolen Govt Money

 Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has challenged his predecessors in the State to come out and swear thart they have never pilfered the state treasury. 

He said in an interview in Hausa monitored on a local TV and Radio station that his philosophy in governance was not to steal as he.was aware there would be a day of reckoning. 

Hear him:

I’m happy that we constructed qualitative roads that would last for years. Not those kinds of roads they’ve constructed in the past which after 2 years, after 2 rainy seasons the roads would be bad.”

“We still have work to do..our plan is that we want all roads in Kaduna to be tarred.Anyone who comes to Kaduna would not see a muddy road.Every part of the town you visit will have tarred roads and solar powered street lights. That’s what we envisaged everywhere in Kaduna, in Kafanchan, in Zaria and in all Local Government Areas such as Soba, everywhere. That is what we want to see.”

“However, we couldn’t realized all our development plans because of the situation this government met.In fact we had to seek for loan to execute those projects. “

“The people can see that we executed those projects with the loan we secured. We did not syphon the money to Dubai and bought houses or go to Jabi Road and build a mansion. “

“We are not like such people. I became the Governor of Kaduna state with only one house located at Danja Street in Unguwan Sarki Kaduna..I’ve completed my tenure, Alhamdulillah…that is my only house. I.dont have any other house.I didn’t built a mansion. I don’t even need it.”

” I did not steal anybody’s money and I am challenging those who governed Kaduna to come out and swear that they ‘ve never stolen money, they should swear that they’ve not taken a kobo from Kaduna State. “

“Wallahi, l am ready to swear. I am challenging them ( former Governors) to come out,face the people of Kaduna State and swear that they’ve never stolen the people’s money.”

” We know them, they are neither the children of Dantata( legendary Kano billionaire) nor the children of Dangote.We know them right from our school days. Where do they get the money to build those houses?What was their profession?”

El Rufai said such was not their philosophy in governance because leadership was a trust bestowed on an individual by God and one day, a leader must stand before God to give account.

Yea 

February 25 Elections Was Not Perfect - APC National Chairman Admits

 The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has admitted that the conduct of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly poll was not perfect,IGBERETV reports.

Adamu admitted this while giving his speech during a parley of APC National Working Committee with the president-elect, Bola Tinubu; vice president-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima and members-elect of the National Assembly.

Speaking at the meeting which was also attended by Senate President Ahmed Lawan; Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Senator Godswill Akpabio, among others, the APC national chairman said; 

“I very heartily congratulate all the distinguished men and women elect. I salute you all. You are the new team Nigeria. From May 29 this year, the burden of our national unity, peace, and development will rest on your shoulders as a team.

“It is fair and honourable to admit that the February 25 elections were not perfect. We did not set out to conduct perfect elections.

“World history has no instances of perfect elections. Like all other democratic nations, we set out to conduct free, fair, and credible elections. This we did.

“I am proud to say we achieved this feat and delivered on the promise made by President Muhammadu Buhari to the people. For the first time in living memory in respect of our elections, there were no allegations of vote-buying and outcry over all the other ills associated with the conduct of our elections. Rigging may not be dead, but it has been decapitated. Our democracy is maturing, and we are maturing with it.

“From the results of February 25, 2023 general elections announced so far by the electoral umpire, INEC, the APC won the presidency, clean and clear, and a majority in both chambers of the national assembly.

“We chose not to rout the other political parties because they are our partners in our national progress and development.”