Headlines
Atiku Defeated Buhari in Katsina, Claims PDP State Chairman
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Katsina State, Sailisu Maijigiri, told the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, on Tuesday, that his party defeated President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 23, 2019 presidential election in the state.
The figures he however gave failed to tally with those his party and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, alluded to in their petition as the “true results” they obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s server.
Maijigiri appeared before the five-man tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Garba, at the instance of the PDP and Atiku, who are by their petition challenging the victory of Buhari and his All Progressives Congress at the poll.
The petitioners, on Tuesday, presented 13 witnesses, in addition to the six they earlier called on Monday.
Testifying as the eighth petitioners’ witness, Maijigiri who served as the party’s collation agent for the presidential election in Katsina State, said the collation of the results of the poll carried out by his party in the state, showed that his party polled 905,000 to defeat Buhari and the APC whom he said scored 872,000 votes.
He said, “We (the PDP) won the election in Katsina State not the APC. The APC scored 872,000 and the PDP scored, 905,000.”
But the respondents’ lawyers pointed his attention to the claim by the petitioners in their petition conceding defeat to Buhari.
Asked if he was aware that the petitioners, according to the results they claimed to have obtained from INEC’s server, stated that in their petition that they polled 160,203 votes while Buhari scored 155,633 votes, he said, “The figures we have are the results that we collated in our state, and not the ones from the server.”
In the results officially declared by INEC, Buhari won his home state of Katsina with 1,232,133 to defeat Atiku who polled 308,056 votes.
Another agent of the PDP in Katsina State for the presidential election, Dan Abdusallam, who testified as the 10th petitioners’ witness at the tribunal , was also asked if he was aware that the petitioners conceded defeat to Buhari in Katsina State, he said, “It will never happen that Atiku would concede defeat to Buhari in Katsina.”
In his testimony, he alleged that the election was marred by over-voting in some polling units as the total votes cast outnumbered the number of accredited voters.
Two ad hoc electoral officers who served during the election also told the tribunal that they electronically transmitted results of the election into the INEC server.
The Punch
Headlines
Abiola Cannot Be Recognised As Former President; He Was Never Sworn-in – Gen Ishola Williams
By Eric Elezuo
One of the prime actors of the June 12, 1993 incidents, General Ishola Williams, has said that much as Chief MKO Abiola wrong was created having won the election, and denied victory, he cannot be recognized as a former President of Nigeria.
Gen Williams made his revelation while speaking as a guest on Channels television socio-political programme, Inside Source.
He maintained that only those who were sworn in that recognised as former presidents, and Abiola was never sworn in.
“Abiola cannot be recognised as former president because he was never sworn in.
The General, who said that he resigned from the army as a result of the wholesome reception given to General Sani Abacha, when he overthrew Chief Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government, contrary to expectation, also picked flaws in the narratives given by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, in his recently launched book, A Journey In Service.
Williams rose in the army to become the Commandant of Army Signals, Commander of Training and Doctrine (TRADOC) and Chief of Defence Training and Planning, from where he resigned.
Headlines
Breaking: Supreme Court Recognises Martin Amaewhule As Rivers Assembly Speaker, Orders CBN to Stop Releasing Funds to State
By Eric Elezuo
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has in its ruling on Friday recognised Hon Martins Amaewhule as the authentic speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, mandating him to urgently resume sitting with elected members of the assembly.
The apex court also ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to stop releasing to the Rivers State government until a proper assembly is constituted.
Details soon…
Tension escalated at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday as impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa made a dramatic return to reclaim his position.
Accompanied by heavily armed men, Obasa stormed the Assembly complex in a bold move that has thrown the State’s legislature into turmoil.
In a stunning turn of events, security details assigned to the substantive Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, were abruptly withdrawn on Thursday morning, clearing the path for Obasa’s controversial comeback.
Sources revealed that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) ordered the withdrawal of all security operatives attached to Meranda, leaving her exposed in the midst of an intensifying power struggle.
The Speaker’s Special Adviser on Information, Mr. Victor Ganzallo, expressed concern over the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of personnel.
“In the early hours of Thursday, we woke up to the startling news that all security details assigned to Madam Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, had been withdrawn.
This includes the police and DSS officers, leaving her exposed to threats amid the ongoing speakership crisis,” Ganzallo stated.
He further called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the State’s Chief Security Officer, to intervene urgently to prevent a complete breakdown of law and order within the Assembly.
“The withdrawal of security personnel has left the Assembly naked and vulnerable at a critical time. Urgent action is needed to restore order,” he pleaded.
With the speakership battle taking a dramatic new turn, political watchers are keenly observing how the crisis will unfold in the coming days.
