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Presidential Election: Legal Practitioner and Social Critic, Inibehe Effiong Urges LP, PDP not to panic over INEC’s objections

A legal practitioner and social critic, Inibehe Effiong has urged people not to panic over objections to admissibility of documents by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, at the ongoing hearings at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, saying
it is a distraction, while claiming that the objected documents by the INEC were duly certified, adding that the Court will act on them.
In a post via his verified Twitter handle on Thursday, the legal expert claimed that “the Electoral Commission’s neutrality is a mirage, especially in electoral litigations”.
He alleged that the INEC had basically aligned its defence strategy with the other Respondents, including the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Effiong said, “People should not panic over objections to admissibility of documents by INEC at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. I’m not surprised by INEC’s roguish and embarrassing attitude. These are public documents duly certified. The Court will act on them. It is a distraction.
“Ordinarily, INEC being the maker of the documents which they’ve certified, that is Form EC8 series (polling unit & collation results), they’re not supposed to object to their admissibility.
“I’ve always said that INEC’s neutrality is a mirage, especially in electoral litigations.
“The documents have been admitted, though the Respondents will state the grounds for their objections in their final addresses.
“Typically, the tribunal will look into the documents and act on them.
“As long as the documents have been duly certified, there’s no cause for alarm.
“INEC has basically aligned their defence strategy with the other Respondents (Tinubu, APC and Shettima). They’re working in sync as they always do.”
At the resumed hearing of the petition filed by Atiku and the PDP challenging the election of President Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Chris Uche, SAN, said that the team had prepared a second schedule of documents to be tendered.
Some documents the petitioners tendered in evidence through Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, were certified true copies of Form EC8A downloaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from its Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
The Form EC8A was for eight local government areas of Bayelsa, 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, 20 local government areas of Ogun and of 23 local government areas of Kogi.
Form EC8As are sheets used for collection of results at the polling units level.
But counsel to INEC, Mr Kemi Pinhero, SAN, objected to the admissibility of all documents relating to Kogi except for those of five Local Government Areas, namely, Olamaboro, Ofu, Omala, Okehi and Ajaokuta.
He said this was because the five local governments whose documents he did not oppose were specifically pleaded in the petitioners’ pleadings.
Pinhero also objected to the admissibility of the documents relating to the BVAS except for Kogi, Rivers and Sokoto states.
News
Peter Obi’s Comparison of Nigeria’s Educational System With Bangladesh, Turkiye
Bangladesh, which once lagged behind Nigeria in virtually every measurable development index, now surpasses us in all key areas of development and in the Human Development Index (HDI).

Peter Obi wrote on his X( Twitter) : “I just came across the official results from JAMB showing the recent exam figures.
In the data shared by JAMB, a total of 1,955,069 candidates sat for the exam.
Shockingly, out of this number, only about 420,000 candidates scored above 200, while over 1.5 million scored below 200.
This means that over 78% of the total candidates failed to meet the 200-mark threshold — a reflection of the deep-rooted challenges in our educational system.
The latest JAMB results once again highlight the consequences of decades of underinvestment in education, a sector that should be central to our national development strategy.
Currently, Nigeria’s total university enrollment stands at approximately 2 million students.
By comparison, the National University of Bangladesh — a single university — has over 3.4 million students enrolled, despite the country having only about 75% of Nigeria’s population.
One university in Bangladesh surpasses the entire university enrollment in Nigeria.
Bangladesh, which once lagged behind Nigeria in virtually every measurable development index, now surpasses us in all key areas of development and in the Human Development Index (HDI).
Similarly, Turkey (now Turkiye), with a population of about 87.7 million people, has over 7 million university students — more than three times Nigeria’s total university enrollment.
I have consistently said it: education is not just a social service; it is a strategic investment.
It is the most critical driver of national development and the most powerful tool for lifting people out of poverty.
We must now invest aggressively in education — at all levels — if we are serious about building a prosperous, secure, and equitable Nigeria.”
News
BREAKING: Cardinal Robert Prevost elected new Pope

The Catholic Church has a new leader. Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American-born cleric and seasoned Vatican official, has been elected Pope, taking the name Leo XIV.
The announcement was made from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday following the traditional white smoke signaling the successful conclusion of the papal conclave.
Prevost, 69, becomes the first American-born Pope in the Church’s two-thousand-year history, marking a significant moment for Catholics in the United States and around the world.
He succeeds Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV is a member of the Order of St. Augustine and is widely respected for his quiet but firm leadership style, deep theological grounding and global pastoral experience.
In 2023, Prevost was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, overseeing the selection and supervision of bishops around the world.
News
BREAKING: Catholic Church elects new Pope

White smoke has been detected from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, signalling the election of a new Pope by the Catholice church.
The new Pope will replace the late Pope Francis who died last month at the age of 88.
However, the identity of the new pope was not immediately made known as the pontiff’s name has yet to be announced.
The white smoke flowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican on the second day of the Conclave shortly after 1pm on Thursday.
The white smoke signalled that one of the candidates for the pontificate had obtained the necessary two-thirds majority for election.
Details soon….
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