Politics
Edo Guber Tribunal: INEC fails to present witness
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has closed its case before the Edo State governorship election tribunal without presenting a witness.
INEC’s legal counsel formally moved to close its case without presenting any witnesses— a motion accepted by the Tribunal.
The Commission would be relying solely on cross-examinations and arguments from the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Governor Monday Okpebholo’s lawyers.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had first mounted a challenge to the election results, accusing INEC of orchestrating widespread irregularities and vote manipulation.
Leveraging the 2022 Electoral Act, the PDP’s legal team focused heavily on documentary evidence rather than oral testimony.
Key provisions of the Act— such as Section 137, which prioritizes documentary evidence over oral testimony, and Section 73(2), which mandates the nullification of results in polling units where ballot paper and BVAS serial numbers were not pre-recorded, form the crux of the PDP’s petition.
The Tribunal has already admitted critical BVAS machines into evidence.
Testimonies from PDP witnesses, including local government agents and an expert witness (PW12), detailed systemic manipulation during result collation.
Recall that the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja had on Wednesday adjourned further proceedings till today, February 6, at the instance of the INEC, whose five witnesses were not in court.
INEC was billed to begin its defense on the conduct of the September 21, 2024 gubernatorial poll but came to the Tribunal with information that its witnesses have been held up.
Counsel to the electoral body, Abdullahi Aliyu, informed the Tribunal that the five listed witnesses were held up on their trip from Benin City and opted to tender three documents in order to make a semblance of progress in the day’s proceedings.
Politics
I will concede defeat if 2027 election is credible — Obi
However, Obi maintained that he won the 2023 presidential election, saying those who conducted the poll knew what happened.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has declared that he will concede defeat in the 2027 presidential election if the poll is free, fair and credible.
Obi stated this in an interview aired on Arise TV on Thursday, saying he would respect the will of Nigerians if they chose another candidate.
“If the election is free, fair and credible, I will because it’s an election. It’s the people that would say who they want to serve, and I will respect the will of the people; that’s democracy,” he said.
However, Obi maintained that he won the 2023 presidential election, saying those who conducted the poll knew what happened.
“I did, and I will maintain that as long as I live that I won the 2023 election. Those who conducted it know the records; they know why there was a glitch and what happened,” he said.
Fielding question on what about “turn-by-turn” presidency, Obi said elections should not be determined by tribe or religion.
“Election should not be driven by tribe or religion. Today, in terms of qualification, I’m qualified to be president of Nigeria. I have the competence; I have been all over the world studying what it takes to be president of a country, and I know what I can do to turn around this country in the right direction.”
Politics
Trump promises $5,000 ‘dividend’ to U.S. citizens if Republicans win midterms
It is estimated that the total proposed “Trump dividend” payout would cost more than $1 trillion — raising questions about how such an expense would be funded and its impact on fiscal strain facing the Federal budget.
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised every adult American citizen a $5,000 “dividend” if the Republicans are victorious at the upcoming midterm elections.
Americans will vote in the midterms in early November, with the Democrats currently projected to win control of the House of Representatives.
Such a result would likely create barriers to Trump’s legislative agenda and send a signal about public opinion on the president’s policy mix throughout his second presidential term.
“Here is my promise: if the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them… because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” he told a crowd at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas.
“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” he added.
It is estimated that the total proposed “Trump dividend” payout would cost more than $1 trillion — raising questions about how such an expense would be funded and its impact on fiscal strain facing the Federal budget.
The potential payout compares to the $1.27 trillion the U.S.
Politics
Benue Politician,Terhemba Shija Vows To Bring Back Home Over 900,000 in IDP Camps
Shija, while describing IDP camps as ranching human beings, said, ” First of all, I have to rescue them from this situation. They have to go back to their land. They have to resume their farming. They have to resume their normal life.
The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, promises to reset the state if he wins the 2027 governorship election.
Shija gave the assurance during an appearance on ARISE News on Wednesday, declaring unacceptable – 900,000 people in Benue State currently living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the state.
Benue State has an official census population of 4,253,641 from 2006, with recent projections estimating the population to be over 6 million people.
Shija, while describing IDP camps as ranching human beings, said “First of all, I have to rescue them from this situation. They have to go back to their land. They have to resume their farming. They have to resume their normal life. We can’t continue normalising what is happening. And once you rescue them, then you set a programme for restructuring. You make sure that Benue is reset afresh.”
“As it is now, this state is in a state of disrepair. The state is no longer in the hands of the owners of the states. Most of over 900,000 people are living in IDP camps. You should know that Benue state is an agrarian state,”he said.
He emphasised “70% of the people of Benue are farmers. They can’t farm. Their land has been taken over by invaders.
Shija, blames the situation on “Herdsmen have taken over Benue land. And these people are living in IDP camps. Now the government has intended to introduce ranching. They have ended up ranching human beings. Human beings are now in IDP camps. And they are at the mercy of people in government.”
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