News
JUST IN: INEC explains kicking against tendering own documents against Tinubu’s election
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has shed light on why it kicked against the tendering of its documents as exhibits by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Gregory Obi, to establish his petition against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The electoral body had on Thursday vehemently objected to the admission of several documents brought to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) by Obi and the Labour Party for the purpose of tendering them as exhibits to justify their petition.
However, at Friday’s proceedings, INEC lawyer Kemi Pinheiro SAN, told the court that the electoral body kicked against the tendering of certified true copies of the documents, mainly election result sheets, because Obi and the Labour Party did not challenge the conduct of the election in the areas relating to the documents.
Pinheiro explained that issues were not joined in the local government areas where the result sheets were sought to be tendered, adding that it was wrong of the petitioners to go beyond the areas where the election is disputed.
He accused Obi of trying to confuse issues by bringing result sheets where he did not dispute the election and the returns adding that the presidential candidate ought to have guided himself with the pleadings in his petition.
According to INEC, the local government areas unlawfully smuggled into proceedings of the court are totally strange to the petition and cannot stand in the face of the law.
INEC’s explanation offered while lawyers were ordered to make an appearance, however, drew the anger of the Presiding Justice of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani.
Justice Tsammani held that it was wrong of INEC’s lawyer to have smuggled the explanation into the proceedings because all parties in the petition had agreed to offer such explanations at the address stage of proceedings.
Pinheiro, in return, apologized to the court but said that he was forced to speak up on the objections because of the deluge of criticisms suffered in the media by his client.
The senior lawyer hinted that social media users had turned his client to an object of ridicule without finding out reasons for objections against the admissibility of the documents.
Meanwhile, the court has admitted as exhibits form EC8A from 21 local government areas of Adamawa and eight local government areas of Bayelsa States and parts of Rivers and Niger State as tendered by Obi and the Labour Party.
Peter Afoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, is conducting proceedings for Obi and LP.
Earlier, hearing in the petition of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) was further shifted to June 9 by the court to enable lawyers to obtain the May 26 judgment of the Supreme Court that would determine whether the petition still has life to sustain it or not.
News
Sylva Seeks Audience With EFCC
He said that he was deeply surprised and profoundly unsettled to learn through a public announcement that he had been declared wanted despite his well-known disposition towards cooperation with lawful authorities.
Chief Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum, has written to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) asking the commission to give him a date for his appearance.
The former Governor of Bayelsa State in a letter he personally signed and addressed to the Chairman of the commission particularly frowned at the move by the EFCC to declare him wanted over an alleged $14.8million fraud.
Sylva in the letter dated November 24th but was received and acknowledged by the EFCC on November 26th and made available to newsmen on Wednesday, however, informed the commission that he was currently receiving an urgent medical care for a life-threatening condition.
He said that he was deeply surprised and profoundly unsettled to learn through a public announcement that he had been declared wanted despite his well-known disposition towards cooperation with lawful authorities.
The letter reads:”In view of the foregoing, I most humbly request that a mutually agreed date be set subject to medical clearance to enable me appear physically and formally.
News
Tinubu nominates ambassadors for U.S, UK, France
The nominees are Kayode Are of Ogun state, Aminu Dalhatu of Jigawa state, and Ayodele Oke of Oyo state.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday nominated three non-career ambassadors to the United States of America, UK, and France, and urges the Senate to confirm the appointments .
The nominees are Kayode Are of Ogun state, Aminu Dalhatu of Jigawa state, and Ayodele Oke of Oyo state.
Tinubu made the request in a letter addressed to the Senate and read on Wednesday, November 26 by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said: that the postings will be finalised following Senate screenings.
“Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea during President Buhari’s administration, having been first appointed in 2016.“
Ambassador Ayodele Oke, an alumnus of Emory University in Atlanta, is a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London.
“Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are was Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007, served as National Security Adviser in 2010, and was an officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence.
He graduated with First Class Honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980.”
News
Goodluck Jonathan, other African leaders trapped in Guinea-Bissau after military coup
In a joint statement, the observer mission said it was “deeply concerned” about the military intervention, calling it “regrettable” that the takeover came shortly after meeting the two top candidates, who had assured them they would respect the will of the voters.
The mission urged the AU and ECOWAS to take urgent steps to restore constitutional order and demanded the immediate release of all detained officials.
The delegation is scheduled to depart Guinea-Bissau on November 29, though it is unclear whether the airport shutdown will affect their exit
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is among dozens of African leaders stranded in Guinea-Bissau after the military seized power and suspended the country’s electoral process on Wednesday.
Jonathan is part of a 36-member joint election observation mission of the African Union (AU), ECOWAS and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) deployed to monitor Sunday’s presidential election.
The coup unfolded after both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, separately claimed victory even though the electoral commission had not released official results.
Soldiers subsequently took control of state institutions, closed all borders and shut down airports.
In a joint statement, the observer mission said it was “deeply concerned” about the military intervention, calling it “regrettable” that the takeover came shortly after meeting the two top candidates, who had assured them they would respect the will of the voters.The mission urged the AU and ECOWAS to take urgent steps to restore constitutional order and demanded the immediate release of all detained officials.
The delegation is scheduled to depart Guinea-Bissau on November 29, though it is unclear whether the airport shutdown will affect their exit.
(Business Day)
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