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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.
Headlines
Aftermath of Visa Revocation: Trump, a Petty-minded Dictator, Soyinka Knocks U.S President
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has sensationally described U.S. President Donald Trump as a “petty-minded dictator” whose rise to power fuelled hate-driven violence and worsened racial tensions in the United States.
Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Facebook on Wednesday, Soyinka said Trump’s presidency exposed the “dark side” of America and emboldened acts of hatred, particularly against minorities.
“This is a petty-minded dictator. You see how he deals with his objects of hate,” Soyinka said, barely two weeks after the Trump administration announced permanent revocation of his entry visa to the country.
“We saw that dark side of the American side. There were more killings, extrajudicial killings by the police of black people, of minorities, during that build-up, during the campaign, and on account of hate rhetoric, the hate rhetoric of this individual,” he added.
The Nobel Laureate noted that Trump’s campaign rhetoric normalised hate speech and created a climate of intolerance that had lasting consequences.
Soyinka recalled that he had earlier warned about Trump’s leadership style, predicting that one of his first actions as president would be to target immigrants.
“I saw it and I said, listen very carefully, and you can go and check this, I said, ‘When that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards’,” he said.
The literary icon, who has often criticised authoritarian tendencies in global politics, maintained that Trump’s administration reflected a deep moral and cultural decline within American society, particularly in its treatment of minorities.
Headlines
Alleged Genocide: Approach Nigeria’s Security Situation with Understanding, FG Tells Trump
The Federal government has again urged United States President, Donald Trump, to demonstrate understanding in his approach to Nigeria’s security challenges.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the call during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, days after Trump threatened military action against Nigeria over what he claimed is a genocide against Christians in the country.
“We call on our American friends and partners to approach the Nigerian situation with an understanding of its complex realities. Nigeria is a vast, multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation, making significant strides in economic reforms and strengthening its security architecture.
“We believe constructive engagement is the surest and most effective way to achieve peace and stability not only in Nigeria but in any part of the world.
“Nigeria welcomes dialogue, we welcome cooperation, and we also welcome support from foreign nations, including the United States of America, in addressing our shared security concerns,” the minister said.
Idris reiterated the current administration’s commitment to tackling the menace of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in the country.
The minister maintained that the Federal government was winning the war against terrorism with major achievements recorded in the North-Eastern part of the country.
“In March this year, a report by the Global Terrorism Index indicated that terrorist attacks were at their lowest in over a decade in Nigeria. The Nigerian government did not say this; it is the international community that has given out this information,” he stated.
“In the last eight months, the Nigerian military has neutralised over 592 terrorists in Borno State alone. Many of them have been sent to their onward beyond.
“Over 11,200 hostages have been freed, and this is still going on. More importantly, over 124 insurgents and their families have surrendered. They have handed over more than 11,000 weapons to the security agencies,” Idris added.
According to the minister, the current administration has made multi-million dollar investments in modernised equipment for security agencies.
Noting that President Bola Tinubu has always supported the nation’s armed forces, Idris said the Commander-in-Chief has increased the budgetary allocation for the military.
He explained that Tinubu has demonstrated the political will to root out terrorism, rampaging bandits, and other criminal elements terrorising Nigerians.
The minister also highlighted military operations in the North-West region of the country, saying that the onslaught against criminals had led to the surrender of bandits in the region.
Idris cited cases where notorious bandit leaders had been eliminated by military strikes in Niger and Zamfara states.
“In the North-West, especially in Zamfara and Kaduna, 11,250 hostages have been freed, and some of the terror leaders that have made life very unbearable for people there have been neutralised.
“They include Ali Kachalla, Boderi, Halilu Sububu, and many others. All these have been sent to where they belong. Only this August, the military intercepted and killed in one operation over 400 armed bandits who had converged to attack a village in Zamfara State,” he stated.
Last Friday, Trump said Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria, describing the alleged killing as a “mass slaughter”.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.
The US president added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the matter.
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!
“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” Trump wrote.
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is putting Nigeria back on the watchlist, reversing a Joe Biden-era policy due to the extermination of Christians, Fox News reports.
The US President, Donald Trump, on Friday, ordered the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, saying that Christians in Nigeria are facing an existential threat. He also called on American lawmakers to investigate the mass slaughter.
A day later, Trump revealed that he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible action in Nigeria as he continued accusing the Federal Government of violence against Christians.
Trump, who posted a statement on his social media handle, said that if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, US troops will be ordered to enter Nigeria and wipe out terrorists.
He said: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, “guns-a-blazing,” to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
”I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians! Warning: The Nigerian government better move fast!”
However, Fox News is now reporting that Trump’s directive has been carried out as Rubio is putting Nigeria back on the watchlist.
Source: Fox News
