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PEPT Judgment: The Rape of the Judiciary?
By Eric Elezuo
At the end of such legal wars like the petition instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the February 23, 2019 Presidential Election, Alhaji Atiku Abybakar against the trio of President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, emotions are certain to flow. They are shock, indifference and celebration. Shock at the fact that the outcome was totally unexpected; indifference at the fact ‘we know that was how it would end and celebration at victory.
While however, the first two were deeply experienced and expressed, the last was conspicuosly missing.
When the election results were declared on February 25, it was obvious to observers that the PDP and Atiku Abubakar would not let go. In the first instance, they had followed events on the cyberspace to know that more of Nigerians have lost faith with the Buhari administration, and were likely to kick him out via the ballot box. Again, the party and its presidential candidate had received a lot of goodwill from many prominent Nigerians. And so when the election results proved otherwise, tempers were let loose.
PDP and Atiku have alleged that massive electoral fraud were perpetrated in addition to intimidation by security operatives and the infamous use of ‘server’ which INEC claimed was non-existent.
In a unanimous decision by the five judges of the Appeal Court led by Justice Garba Mohammed, Atiku and PDP’s petitions were dismissed ‘in its entirety’ as lacking merit, even as they decribed the evidence presented as ‘a drop in the ocean’.
Atiku’s case, which the APC described as a complete waste of time, was backed by ‘verifiable’ documents and loads of witnesses, with a claim that a server thus exist and that the process was marred by untold irregularities. But alas, the judgment of the five wise men, which took a whopping eight hours to deliver, cleverly dodged the obvious and made pronouncements which some described as voice of the respondent.
In reaction to the judgment, the two political parties said inter alia:
APC: “The APC congratulates the Judiciary for refusing to succumb to the opposition party’s subterfuge. We note the painstaking efforts and thoroughness of the Justices of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in arriving at their decision. Today’s judgment, no doubt, would go down in the annals of our nation as the longest and detailed, spanning almost 10 hours.
PDP: “Nigerians and the international community watched in utter disbelief when the tribunal ruled that one need not provide a copy or certified true copy of educational certificate such individual claimed to possess, contrary to established proof of claims of certification.
Among the ‘landmark’ judgments at the tribunal was the decision of the judges that attaching (academic) certificates to contest election was not necessary, quoting electoral laws, just as it informed that there is no difference between Muhammadu and Mohammed so long as there is a Buhari in it. This has no doubt left Nigerians gaping, wondering the motivation behind such judgment. It is known that once a letter in a name differentiates two documents, the documents are nullified and never tendered. It therefore, becomes an abberation for the judiciary to blatantly declare that there is nothing with Muhammadu being in one document and Mohammed being in another. Its other decision of calling to question the importance of certificates as a prerequisite for election also raises eyebrows to which a cross section of Nigerians allege rape of the law and manipulation of facts.
While the APC wallow in the euphoria of the court victory, it is important that a wholistic approach is employed to examine the extent the so called last hope of the common man has been raped or otherwise, and who actually masterminded and participated in the rape of the judiciary.
President John Mahama of Ghana has said that there is no place for xenophobia in the country, assuring that his administration is committed to the safety of Nigerians and their businesses in the country.
Mahama also restated his commitment to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocols, especially the free movement of persons and goods in the region.
He stated this when he received the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the Presidential Palace, Accra.
According to a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media in the Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Magnus Eze, on Friday, Mahama urged President Bola Tinubu not to lose sleep over recent protests against Nigerian nationals resident in his country.
He stated that Nigeria and Ghana have a shared history.
President Mahama noted that the recirculation of an old video made by a Nigerian residing in Ghana over 10 years ago generated tension, but announced that the situation was swiftly managed.
The Ghanaian president assured the envoy of the safety and protection of the lives, properties, and businesses of Nigerians in Ghana.
Earlier, the minister thanked the Mahama for his hospitality since the Nigerian delegation arrived in Ghana.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu was clear that their mission was to douse the tension in Ghana following a viral video against Nigerians.
She said that every Nigerian back home was worried about the situation and concerned about the safety of Nigerian nationals in Ghana, their properties, and businesses.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also said that the visit was to facilitate the establishment of a permanent Nigeria-Ghana Joint Commission.
She said that the joint commission would help in addressing the youth and the issue of migration caused by the huge demography of unemployed people under 45 years.
“We are encouraging our youth to stay in Nigeria, and if it is necessary to migrate, they are to be great ambassadors,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
She informed the Ghanaian president that she was meeting with Nigerians in Ghana to urge them to adhere to the laws of Ghana.
In a post on her X handle, she described the meeting as an engaging one.
“The Ghanaian President is committed to promoting peaceful coexistence as had hitherto been the situation between Ghanaian citizens and the Nigerian community and to ensure that both citizens and non-citizens, including their properties and assets, are safe and secure,” she stated.
The minister was accompanied on the fact-finding mission by the Director, Africa Affairs Department in the ministry, Regina Ocheni; Director, Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Innocent Iwejuo, and Special Assistant (Administration) to the Minister of State, Ajuluchukwu Eze.
Former Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing the party’s inability to provide credible leadership and deliver good governance to Nigerians.
In a resignation letter shared on his official X account on Thursday, dated July 4, 2025, and addressed to the chairman of the PDP in Ward 1, Aiyetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Melaye announced his immediate withdrawal from all party activities.
“I hereby tender my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party at all levels of involvement.
“This decision has become imperative due to the lack of potency and capacity by the party to deliver the Nigerian people from the prevailing political cankerworms that have eaten deeply into the fabric of our dear nation”, the letter partly read.
Melaye, who once served as the PDP’s candidate in the 2023 Kogi State governorship election, said his decision followed deep reflection on the party’s current state and trajectory.
“Having carefully reflected on the state of the party, I can no longer in good conscience participate in the activities of the parties or lend my support to her agenda”, the letter continued.
He further requested that his resignation be treated as a formal and total withdrawal from all party levels and structures.
“In view of the above, please consider this as my formal withdrawal from the party and all its activities at all levels with immediate effect”, the letter added.
In his closing remarks, Melaye expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve under the party’s platform during his time as a member.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve under the platform during my period of membership,” the letter concluded.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has given the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) 21 days to provide detailed explanations on financial discrepancies totaling N210 trillion, even as its Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Bayo Ojulari, pleaded for more time to respond adequately.
Appearing before the committee on Tuesday in response to an earlier summons, Ojulari stated that he required more time to properly study and understand the issues flagged in the company’s audited financial statements covering the period from 2017 to 2023.
“I have been in office for barely 100 days and I need time to fully understand the issues. Given the explanation I’ve heard today, my perspective has changed,” the NNPCL chief said.
“I need to carry out further internal review and reconciliation to provide the answers the committee requires’. He pledged to assemble a team to work on the queries.”
The financial concerns revolve around N103 trillion in liabilities and N107 trillion in assets, figures that lawmakers described as troubling and largely unsubstantiated.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada, said that the figures raised red flags.
“The amount is mind-boggling. The liability figure cannot be substantiated and is therefore not acceptable to this committee. Even the receivables making up the asset component cannot be verified,” the senator said.
According to Wadada, the N210 trillion in question was extracted directly from NNPCL’s audited financial statements and the company is expected to provide concrete explanations for both its liabilities and assets.
Some lawmakers also expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s posture, accusing NNPCL of showing disregard for the committee. They argued that the NNPCL boss’s plea for more time was not sufficient and questioned why the CEO appeared to be unfamiliar with the details despite sending representatives to earlier hearings.
Following an appeal from the CEO, the committee directed the NNPCL to return with a comprehensive and reconciled response within 21 days.
