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SAN Warns Against Extending President Buhari’s Tenure
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun Adegboruwa, had warned against using the attacks on INEC offices as an excuse to extend the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “We are a nation governed by law and the most important one is the constitution. The tenure of the current President cannot be extended by one second; whether Nigeria burns or rain or brimstones fall from heaven. As long as we are still operating this constitution, the tenure of this president is predictable, it’s determined, it’s statutory; nobody has any power to extend it. Even if the election does not hold, that will not lead to the extension of the tenure of the current President. The constitution is clear about what happens if election does not hold.
“Having said that, there is no reason why election should not hold in Nigeria. The situation we have in the South-East now is not as bad as what we had in the North-East in 2015 and elections held successfully then. So, it is possible to isolate particular zones and areas where there may be violence for election to hold in other areas where there is peace and when there is a return of peace, we can always go back to conduct elections in those places.
“The time lag for transition is so elongated in the constitution that nobody can use that (South-East situation) to birth a third-term agenda for the current President. It will not work. Let INEC not sell that dummy to anybody. Whether there are fifth columnists within this regime that are being paid to go and orchestrate violence in the South-East by burning INEC offices and whether even INEC headquarters in Abuja is burnt down, this current regime will expire in 2023! No Jupiter can extend that tenure! So, if anybody is doing that for the purpose of getting any illegal extension, they should better have a rethink because Nigerians will not accept it.
“We will not accept an extension of the tenure of this regime, we will not accept a military rule; we will not accept anything that will elongate this wickedness, suffering and violence! And it is not a new thing for us to demand that the tenure of this regime should end; if the President will not reward us with good governance, at least he can reward us with integrity by sticking to the oath that he took on the 29th of May 2019 when he was sworn in for the second term.
“There is no provision for being sworn in for the third term, either by extension or failure to conduct an election. So, for me, Nigerians are ready; we are not blind people and we are not daft. Whatever is going on in the South-East, in terms of INEC offices, all these press conferences that the INEC Chairman is holding and sending warnings, he is only warning himself; it doesn’t concern us as Nigerians.
“Whatever happens, this particular Muhammadu Buhari regime will come to an end in 2023. That idea (tenure extension) cannot hold water, nobody should sell it, nobody should dream about it, we will not accept it as a nation.”
President Bola Tinubu has held a private meeting with suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara in London, as part of efforts to resolve the political crisis rocking the oil-rich state, according to The Africa Report.
The paper reported that the meeting took place last week following Tinubu’s departure from Paris, and that the talks were initiated at Fubara’s request, amid his growing efforts to regain his position following his suspension and the imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
During the meeting, Fubara reportedly pledged to make certain concessions in a bid to ease tensions. A senior presidential adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that negotiations are still ongoing but suggested that Fubara’s suspension is likely to be lifted before the six-month period elapses.
Another aide to the president indicated that Fubara is considering joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that could improve his standing with the presidency and enhance Tinubu’s political influence in the state. “If Fubara joins the APC, the president’s chances of winning Rivers State will increase significantly,” the aide noted.
Notably absent from the London talks was former Rivers Governor and current FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who is reportedly uneasy about being sidelined in the reconciliation process. However, President Tinubu is expected to facilitate a broader meeting involving Fubara, Wike, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to find a lasting resolution to the impasse.
Pope Francis has died, the Vatican has announced in a video statement.
The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at the age of 88 at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) on Monday, said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.
Francis had suffered various ailments in his 12 year papacy, with severe complications in recent weeks after a bout of double pneumonia for which he spent five weeks in hospital.
His death comes one day after a brief appearance before thousands of Catholic pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday mass.
Source: Aljazeera
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that Nigeria faces significant uncertainty in its economic outlook despite wide-ranging reforms.
It, however, noted that the gains are yet to benefit all Nigerians with poverty and food insecurity remaining high.
Concluding its 2025 Article IV Consultations with Nigeria’s public policy executives during the week, IMF’s team, led by Axel Schimmelpfennig, its mission chief for Nigeria, acknowledged that Nigeria has taken important steps to stabilize the economy, enhance resilience, and support growth.
The IMF team had met with Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Yemi Cardoso, senior government and central bank officials, the Ministry of Environment, the private sector, academia, labour unions, and civil society.
Although the IMF representatives said these reforms have put Nigeria in a better position to navigate the external environment, the macroeconomic outlook remains marked by significant uncertainty.
They said that the elevated global risk sentiment and lower oil prices would impact the Nigerian economy.
They, therefore, recommended that macroeconomic policies need to further strengthen buffers and resilience, reduce inflation, and support private sector-led growth.
The final report of the consultations stated: “The Nigerian authorities have taken important steps to stabilize the economy, enhance resilience, and support growth.
‘‘The financing of the fiscal deficit by the central bank has ceased, costly fuel subsidies were removed, and the functioning of the foreign exchange market has improved.
‘‘Gains have yet to benefit all Nigerians as poverty and food insecurity remain high.
‘‘The outlook is marked by significant uncertainty. Elevated global risk sentiment and lower oil prices impact the Nigerian economy.
‘‘The reforms since 2023 have put the Nigerian economy in a better position to navigate this external environment. ‘‘Looking ahead, macroeconomic policies need to further strengthen buffers and resilience, while creating enabling conditions for private sector-led growth.
“The authorities communicated to the mission that they will implement the 2025 budget in a manner that is responsive to the decline in international oil prices. A neutral fiscal stance would support monetary policy to bring down inflation.
‘‘To safeguard key spending priorities, it is imperative that fiscal savings from the fuel subsidy removal are channeled to the budget.
‘‘In particular, adjustments should protect critical, growth-enhancing investment, while accelerating and broadening the delivery of cash transfers under the World Bank-supported program to provide relief to those experiencing food insecurity.
“A tight monetary policy stance is required to firmly guide inflation down. The Monetary Policy Committee’s data-dependent approach has served Nigeria well and will help navigate elevated macroeconomic uncertainty.
‘‘Announcing a disinflation path to serve as an intermediate target can help anchor inflation expectations.”
