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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.
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Nigerian Press Urges FG, NASS to Act Swiftly Against ‘Big Tech Threat’
Major Nigerian media and journalism organizations have issued a strong call to the Federal Government (FG) and the National Assembly (NASS) to take immediate legislative and regulatory action against what they describe as an existential threat posed by Big Tech companies to the country’s information sovereignty and media industry.
In a joint statement released recently, leading press bodies—including key associations representing publishers, editors, and journalists—warned that unchecked dominance by global technology giants such as Google, Meta, and others is eroding Nigeria’s control over its digital information ecosystem.
They highlighted how these platforms dominate digital advertising revenue, divert traffic from traditional news sources, and increasingly use Nigerian-generated content to train artificial intelligence models without fair compensation or permission.
The groups emphasized that the situation risks surrendering Nigeria’s information sovereignty to foreign entities, potentially undermining national security, cultural values, and the economic viability of local media houses.
They pointed to declining revenues for publishers, with some facing up to 90% drops in traffic due to AI-generated summaries and algorithmic changes on search and social platforms.
The press bodies urged lawmakers to enact robust regulations, including frameworks for content remuneration, data usage restrictions, algorithmic transparency, and mechanisms to ensure fair competition in the digital space.
They called for urgent collaboration between the executive and legislature to address these challenges before irreversible damage occurs to Nigeria’s media landscape and democratic discourse.
This appeal comes amid broader global debates on Big Tech accountability and follows Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its digital economy governance, including recent pushes toward comprehensive AI and data regulations.
Stakeholders view the statement as a pivotal moment for protecting indigenous media in an era of rapid technological disruption.
The Federal Government and National Assembly have yet to issue an official response, but the call aligns with growing concerns over digital monopolies and their impact on developing economies.
Media experts anticipate intensified discussions in the coming weeks as Nigeria navigates its position in the global tech landscape.
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US sends troops to Nigeria
The top commander made the confirmation during a press briefing, yesterday, but did not provide further details about the size and scope of their mission.
The general in charge of the U.S. command for Africa (AFRICOM), General Dagvin Anderson, confirmed that United States has sent troops to Nigeria.
The top commander made the confirmation during a press briefing, yesterday, but did not provide further details about the size and scope of their mission.
He emphasised that the decision to send troops to Nigeria was after both countries agreed that more needed to be done to combat the terrorist threat in West Africa.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” General Anderson said.
According to Reuters, Nigeria’s Defense Minister, Christopher Musa, confirmed that a team was working in Nigeria but did not provide further details.
The development is the first acknowledgment of U.S. forces on the ground since US airstrikes targeting terrorists in Nigeria’s North-West on Christmas Day, 2025.
President Donald Trump, who announced that he ordered the airstrikes on what he described as Islamic State targets, had said there could be more U.S. military action in Nigeria.
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