The Presidential Election Petition Court, in Abuja, on Monday, admitted in evidence the final report of the European Union Observer Mission on the February 25 presidential election.
The EU report was tendered at the tribunal by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who are challenging the outcome of the poll, in which President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In its final report presented last week, the EU had declared the election was below expectations.
The Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission, Barry Andrews, at a press briefing, said, “The election exposed enduring systemic weaknesses and therefore signal a need for further legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability.”
The EU also said the conduct of the election diminished public trust in INEC.
But the Presidency, on Sunday, in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, accused the EU of bias and an intention to “impeach the integrity of the 2023 elections” which it described as the “best organised general elections in Nigeria since 1999.
Alake said, “We strongly reject, in its entirety, any notion and idea from any organisation, group, and individual remotely suggesting that the 2023 election was fraudulent.”
However, at the tribunal, on Monday, Atiku, through his lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), tender the EU report while cross-examining an INEC witness, Lawrence Bayode.
INEC, which was joined as a defendant in Atiku’s petition, opened its defence on Monday to prove that the presidential election was credible.
While being cross-examined by Uche, the INEC witness admitted that INEC had yet to upload all the results of the presidential election onto the IRev as of March 1, 2023, when Tinubu was declared winner of the poll.
According to the witness, only 31 per cent of the presidential election result was uploaded onto INEC’s result viewing portal.
He admitted that there was a technical glitch that affected the uploading of the presidential election results which was not reported to Amazon Web Services by the commission.
Under cross-examination by Tinubu’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the INEC witness stated that images captured on Bimodal Voters Accreditation System, whether transmitted electronically or manually, does not affect the integrity of the election, “especially when the results are announced to the hearing and knowledge of party agents.”
He affirmed that “the outcome of the February 25 presidential election is free, fair, transparent and in substantial compliance with the provisions of the law.”
Apart from the witness, INEC also tendered four documents to back its case.
It, thereafter, closed its case.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Harunna Tsammani, adjourned till Tuesday (today), for Tinubu to open his defence.
Let everybody join hands in achieving a peaceful and liveable Anambra State and the entire Igbo land that we all desire..
Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah is fighting to end this Sit-at-home and other Governors. You as a business owner should not allow those working for salary to keep deceiving us to stay at home every Monday, just because they don’t want to go to work.
Calculate the numbers of Mondays we have lost in the past two years and check if the Sit-at-home has made FGN to release Nnamdi Kanu.. We are not strategic and have simply played into the hands of Fraudsters masquerading as freedom fighters.
Imagine main market ,onitsha and other big markets in onitsha and Nnewi closing for Business every Monday in the last two years because of an order from a riffraff in Finland.
Nnamdi Kanu himself has said we should end the Sit-at-home because it is not yielding any positive results for his release but the míschievious Simon Ekpa, who is not even in Nigeria but in Finland scamming people, extorting from his misinformed followers with fake news, claiming that he is supporting Biafra.
Why can’t he come back to Nigeria and join this agitation, if he is a true supporter of Biafra?Simon Ekpa is doing his business every Monday in Finland where he is living with his family . Ndị Igbo, let’s help ourselves.
Note this ,Ebonyi State is not sitting at home . Simon Ekpa is from Ebonyi state. Umuahia is not sitting at home . Nnamdi Kanu is from Umuahia. Asaba is not sitting at home . Asaba is in Biafraland. Then ,who is deceiving who? Those promoting sit at home every monday for the past two years are enemies of Biafra people . They want to destroy our homeland in the name of freedom fighting . We are Ndigbo ,we are special people .
This message is coming from Good Governance Ministry (GGM)
One of the foremost Civil Society Organisations (CSOS) in Enugu State, Hill Top United (HTU), has declared that Governor Peter Mbah”s stay in office is temporary because he has what it calls an incurably defective mandate.
No armada of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) can save him from either the ongoing Enugu State Governorship and House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal or the Court of Appeal”, stated the group this morning in a statement in Enugu signed by its chairman, Comrade Augustine Uche Udeh, and its Director of Publicity, Chief Ambrose Ozoene
“The PDP and its candidate in the gubernatorial election have an incurably defective case on different fronts, which no lawyers, however clever, can rescue”.
Governor Mbah and his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are being defended at the tribunal by 10 SANS, including Chief Wole Olanipekun, a former Nigerian Bar Association president, and Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, the leader of the English Constitution of the Free Mansory in Nigeria, plus three others hired by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to defend its controversial declaration of Mbah as the winner of the gubernatorial election.
Other SANS defending both Mbah and the PDP in the suit filed by the Labour Party and its governorship candidate in the March 18 gubernatorial election in Enugu State, Barrister Chijioke Edeoga, are Chief (Mrs) A.J. Offiah, Ahmed Raji, and Mr Bode Olanipekun.
Dr Alex Iziyon, who once ran unsuccessfully to be the NBA president, Mr D.D. Dodo, Mr Anthony Ani, Mr Tochukwu Maduka and Alhaji Kamalden Ajibade are also among the SANS working for Mbah and the PDP.
(INEC) is being defended in the case by Alhaji T.M Inuwa, Alhaji Alhassan Umar, and Alhaji Abdul Mohammed.
“This is the first and only time in Nigeria’s history that as many as 13 SANs are defending just one gubernatorial candidate in a case”, observed the HTU, which added that “this is so because the PDP and its candidate brazenly stole the mandate of the Enugu people in broad daylight in connivance with INEC, and are desperately doing everything possible to keep the stolen mandate.
“All this is being financed with the resources of our people which former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi made available to Mbah; this is in addition to the N13 billion Mbah borrowed from Fidelity Bank and Polaris Bank under the guise of financing the operations of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Company Ltd”.
The CSO accused Mnah of hiring such a number of SANs from different parts of Nigeria to “confuse, browbeat and intimidate the Election Petitions Tribunal into sanctioning the iniquity of INEC’s declaration of the PDP as triumphant in the governorship poll”.
The HTU, however, lauded the tribunal members for their self-confidence and mastery of the law, “as examplified by Chief Olanipeku’s failed attempt to sway them with sentiments and theatricals over Mbah’s forged National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate.
“No person with an authentic certificate can sue the body which issued him or her the certificate in order to stop it from testifying on the status of the certificate, as Mbah has sensationally done”.
The group sad that it is tough for INEC to defend the 16,000 votes it announced the PDP won in Mbah’s home local government area of Nkanu East which is made up of small villages with scanty populations.
The Enugu INEC office had initially announced that the PDP got over 31,000 votes, but the commission’s national headquarters brought the number down to some 16,000 on March 22, four days after the poll.
“What took place as the official outcome of the Enugu gubernatorial election remains an unintelligent tragicomedy”, stated the HTU.
“It is known to every person in Enugu that Mbah’s stay in Government House is transient”.
The Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti has forwarded a 19-man list to the Abia State House of Assembly for Screening and Confirmation as Commissioners and members of the State Executive Committee.
In a letter addressed to the speaker of the House of Assembly, Dr. Otti requested the house to screen the Nominees and revert to him for further necessary action.
The Nominees are:
1. Prof. Monica Ironwe
2 Mr. Kingsley Anoube
3 Prof. Eme Uche Eme
4. Mr. Philemon Axony Ogbonna
5. Mr. Mike Alpara
6. Dr. Ngozi Olaoronin
7. Mr. Oney Kanu
8. Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna
9. Mr. Chaka Chukwumerije
10. Mr. Uro Nwachukwu
11 Prof. Joel Friday Ogbonna
12. Mr. Chima Oriaku
13. Mr. Nuabbler Nwodimma Ananaba
14. Dr. Chimezie hoor koegbu
15 Ngozi Blessing Felic
16 Eng. Don Otumchere Oti
17. Comrade Sunny Oleburguu Onwuma
The Defence Headquarters has given top officers who are seniors to the newly appointed service chiefs till Monday to voluntarily retire from service.
The order, which was contained in a memo dated June 26 and signed by Maj Gen Y. Yahaya on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, was directed to generals, brigadiers-general, air vice marshals, and rear admirals in the Nigerian Army, Air Force, and Nigerian Navy, who are senior to the new service chiefs.
The development confirmed a report by The PUNCH that scores of top military brass would be retired following the appointment of new service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu on June 19.
The retirement of the senior officers across the three services was in line with the long-standing military tradition that officers who were senior to the service chiefs would be retired.
It is a tradition in the military that when a junior is appointed as a service chief, senior officers, who are ahead of him or her, would proceed on retirement.
The understanding is that senior military officers are unlikely to take orders from their juniors.
Tinubu had announced the immediate retirement of General Lucky Irabor who was the Chief of Defence Staff; the Chief of Army Staff, Lieut Gen Farouk Yahaya; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, and Air Marshal Oludayo Amao, the Chief of Air Staff and replaced them with new military chiefs.
The new service chiefs are Maj Gen Christopher Musa who is the Chief of Defence Staff; the Chief of Army Staff, Maj Gen Taoreed Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla while Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar was appointed the Chief of Air Staff.
DIG Kayode Egbetokun was appointed as the acting Inspector-General of Police and Maj. Gen. E Undiandeye, Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Also, a former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, who was earlier appointed as the Security Adviser to the President, was elevated to the National Security Adviser.
While the new CDS is a member of 38 Regular Course, the COAS, the CNS, and the CAS are members of 39 Regular Course.
However, the DHQ in the memo with reference number DHQ/I5/PLANS/801/13 directed all officers with seniority on commission above that of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 39 to submit their applications for voluntary retirement from service with immediate effect.
This, it said, was meant to preserve and uphold the tenets of the military profession which values hierarchy and service discipline.
The memo, copied to the army, navy, and air force headquarters, read in part, “It would be recalled that the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently appointed new CDS and Service Chiefs on June 19, 2023.
In order to preserve and uphold the tenets of the military profession which values hierarchy and service discipline, it is important that all officers whose officer cadet courses run seniority above that of the current Service Chiefs disengage from the Service.
“Consequently, I am directed to respectfully request services to direct all officers with seniority on commission above that of NDA Regular Course 39 to submit their applications for voluntary retirement from Service with immediate effect. I am to add that affected officers are to submit their applications to their respective Service Headquarters no later than Mon July 3, 2023.”
When asked about the number of naval officers that may be affected by the directive on Thursday, the spokesperson for the army, Onyema Nwachukwu, said, “I am not able to generate such statistics now until it unfolds.”
In his response, the Nigerian Navy, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, said, “I think on this, acting DDI, DHQ (Director, Defence Information) can be reached to speak for the AFN. Already there were speculations in some print media on this. Nevertheless once cleared and permitted, it’ll be disclosed.’’
The spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, declined comment, saying he is handing over to his successor on Monday.
But the acting Director, Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau could not be reached on the number of senior officers that may be affected by the directive as he did not respond to phone calls and a text message sent to his phone.
But commenting on the directive to the senior officers, retired Col Foluso Saka said it was time the military established a corps for retired personnel, adding that their experiences, especially those with technical skills, could still benefit the country.
Retired officers’ corps
He said, “I am aware it is the tradition of the military to retire some top officers when their junior is appointed but I am of the view that there should be a corps or something like a reserve for retired military personnel instead of asking them to just retire.
“The military can fall back on them should they need their services or be made to train and nurture the young ones. Their services, especially those highly skilled among them, should not be allowed to waste; they can be put to use for the benefit of the nation. A lot of resources have been expended on them to acquire the knowledge they have.”
A security analyst, Timothy Avele, said the retirement might not have an impact on the ongoing military operations across the country, adding that the security challenges facing the country required a modern approach.
He noted, “It won’t have much effect if they are being replaced with more technologically compliant young energetic officers. Times have changed; bearing the rank of a general is no longer enough to fight modern security challenges, though experience counts.”
In another development, the Nigerian Navy has announced the redeployment of 56 senior officers and one commodore.
Navy shake-up
The major shake-up in the Nigerian navy comes a few days after Ogalla took over as the chief of naval staff.
Ayo-Vaughan, the spokesperson for the navy, said the action was necessary to reposition the navy for optimum performance.
He said Olusanya Bankole, formerly the director of logistics of the defence space administration, had been appointed the chief of communications and information technology at the naval headquarters; while Alexander Bingel, formerly Director of Combat Policy and Tactics, is currently the Director of Logistics of Defence headquarters.
Rear Admiral Ibrahim Dewu, formerly Director of Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, Naval Headquarters is now the Chief of Defence Civil Military Cooperation, Defence Headquarters while Rear Admiral Kennedy Ezete formerly Director Project Monitoring, Defence Headquarters, resumes as the Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters.
Rear Admiral Livingstone Izu, who was Director Manning at Naval Headquarters is the new Chief of Logistics, Naval Headquarters while Rear Admiral Musa Madugu, formally Deputy Director of Special Operation Forces at the Defence Headquarters has been appointed as the Admiral Superintendent Naval Ordnance Depot.
Rear Admiral Daupreye Matthew, the erstwhile Director of Innovation and Concept Development, at Naval Headquarters, is now the Director of Training, at Defence Headquarters, while Rear Admiral Zakariya Muhammad, the former Director of Training, at Naval Headquarters, has been reappointed Chief of Training and Operations.
Rear Admiral Emmanuel Nmoyem has been reappointed as Director of Human Rights Desks at the Defence Headquarters, while Rear Admiral Ibrahim Shettima formerly Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command moves to Defence Headquarters as Director of Plans.
The former Director of Plans, at Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Monday Unurhiere, has been appointed the Chief of Defence Administration at the Defence Headquarters, while Rear Admiral Hamza Kaoje who was the Director of Equipment Standardization and Harmonization, at Defence Headquarters has been appointed Group Managing Director, Navy Holdings Limited.
Rear Admiral Sulaiman El-ladan, who was the Chief of Naval Engineering, at Naval Headquarters is now at the Defence Research and Development Bureau at Defence Headquarters as the Director of Marine Research, while Rear Admiral Idi Abbas formerly Director of Operations, at Naval Headquarters, is now reappointed Chief of Naval Safety and Standards.
Rear Admiral Mohammed Abdullahi, the immediate past Director of Communications at Naval Headquarters takes over as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command while Rear Admiral Saheed Akinwande, formerly the Commandant of Naval War College Nigeria, has been appointed Director of Operations, Naval Headquarters.
We have a good environment,good people . What we need is visionary Leader that will organize the people ,inspire the people to achieve a productive society.
It is very easy to build a modern society . A Governor only needs to operate an open and transparent system of Government with a simple and clear execution plan and cost implications .
Parts of the OceanGate submersible, which embarked on the ill-fated deep sea tour to see the wrecks of the Titanic, have been recovered and brought to land for the first time.
Metal wreckage of the OceanGate submersible arrived aboard the Horizon Arctic ship in St John’s, Canada, on Wednesday. Photos by newsmen showed the unloading of the metal wreckage by the United States Coast Guard.
The submersible, which conveyed five people to see the wrecks of the Titanic, went missing for days, prompting a search that led to the discovery of parts of the submersible, suggesting an implosion that killed everyone on board.
According to the U.S. coast guards, the Titan’s landing frame and rear cover were found amongst the debris.
The BBC reports that the OceanGate submersible imploded on the 18th of June, about 90 minutes after its dive, killing all five people who embarked on the journey hoping to see the famous 1912 Titanic shipwreck, which currently lies at a depth of 12,500ft in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The debris recovered and brought ashore includes at least one titanium end cap, the sub’s porthole with its window missing, as well as a titanium ring, landing frame, and the end equipment bay.
The U.S. coast guards have officially launched an investigation to determine what led to the implosion of the submersible. They hope to make findings and make recommendations that would prevent future tragedies.
The founder of the deep diving company Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, French Diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, and his son, Suleman Dawood, all died in the incident.
Dr. Alex Otti led government of Abia State has suspended all the permanent secretaries in the various Ministries, Agencies and Departments as well as the Head of Service.
The state government in a press statement signed by Kazie Uko, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor said their suspension which is with immediate effect is as a result of the inauguration of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Properties and Funds belonging to Abia State Government.
“Consequently, the Governor has approved the appointment of Lady Joy Maduka, Director, Ministry of Education, as Acting Head of Service (HOS).
“All the Permanent Secretaries, except the following:
1. John Pedro Iroakazi – Clerk of the House;
2. Mrs. U. G. Uche Ikonne – Solicitor General are by this notice directed to hand over to the most senior Director in their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies,” the statement reads in part.
The new Nigerian Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has been urged to release the damning report of alleged Extrajudicial killings, Organ Trafficking etc, against Anambra SARS.
In a social media post, the popular “Kemi Talk” host, Kemi Olunloyo, appealed to the IGP to release the detailed report on SP Princes Nkirun Nwode, alleging that she was framed up and blackmailed.
The following is the report by Kemi Olunloyo on her “Kemi Talk”:
According to my investigation on AWKUZU SARS ,SP Princess Nkiru Nwode was clearly FRAMED AND BLACKMAILED‼️
I AM URGING NEW ACTING IGP KAYODE EGBETOKUN TO RELEASE THE DAMNING REPORT OF THE ALLEGATIONS OF EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLING, ORGAN TRAFFICKING ETC AGAINST ANAMBRA SARS.
Nnamdi Daniel was arrested in Cotonou and was a tracker and IT guy whose job is to help security agents’ track down suspects. He can hack into anything anywhere in the world and has the capacity to write spyware programs that can be installed and controlled remotely. Daniel Emeh worked as SSA to Governor Willie Obiano on cyber security matters and at the end of the administration, he lobbied his way into the Nigerian police force where he was running his NYSC program.
On the N120M allegedly taken from the victim’s account, SP Princess Nkiru Nwode swung into action immediately and personally led a contingent of senior police officers from the intelligence and investigation unit of zone 13 and they headed to Awkuzu SARS when she instantly ordered an internal investigation.
THIS WOMAN IS INNOCENT AND THIS YOUNG MAN RUINED HER NAME. The Acting IGP must exonerate her and FIND the actual officers still “practicing SARS” activities.
The report must be released by the Police Service Commission to the media and the public. There is also a hate campaign against senior police officers by Junior officers.
In Botswana, UNIVERSITY students get paid $154 monthly to go to school.
Botswana’s citizens get FREE land if they apply when they are above 18.
The country is so safe that even the President can walk around without SECURITY.
All Citizens receive FREE healthcare.
Botswana gives Grants to OLD people and PHYSICALLY challenged people.
In 2017, Botswana’s Parliament approved a law to provide FREE sanitary pads for girls in all schools to improve access to EDUCATION.
They are Visa free to a lot of countries including UK but you’ll rarely see any of them traveling to UK.
What are you going to do in another country when your country provides the basic things.
I used to think it’s the normal black man mentality for all Africans, but looking at this, it means we’re not born bad as Africans, it’s some of our LEADERS and POLITICAL decisions that’s bad.
Because look at Botswana.. They just proved me wrong .
