By Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Terhemba Daka, Ameh Ochojila, John Akubo (Abuja), Joseph Onyekwere (Lagos), Ann Godwin (Port Harcourt) and Mansur Aramide (Ilorin) | 27 October 2023 | 3:56 am

Tinubu-President

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• Buhari: Court dismissal of appeal a welcome relief
• PDP: Supreme Court has failed Nigerians
• Executive has hijacked judiciary, legislature, LP fumes
• We’ll resort to masses’ court, says Obi’s spokesman
• Adegboruwa: INEC failed Nigerians
• Electoral jurisprudence not focused on justice, needs review, Amadi says

President Bola Tinubu savoured the thrilling experience of victory yesterday, after the Supreme Court validated his lifelong ambition to lead Africa’s most populous nation.null

The road to yesterday’s victory, which began on January 10, 2022 when he declared his presidential ambition, was laden with many twists and turns that included winning the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary on June 8, 2022, against all odds; enduring a fierce and bitter months-long campaign leading to the February 25, 2023 presidential election and four long nights before he was eventually declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 1, 2023; and finally the last hurdle, which was the legal battle that saw his challengers crisscross Nigeria and United States courts in the bid to have his election upturned.

Putting a seal to the legal fireworks over the election yesterday, the Supreme Court dismissed the two appeals filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and that of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.

Atiku and Obi separately attacked the judgments of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), which in a 13-hour-long ruling on September 6, dismissed their petitions instituted against the conduct of the presidential election and its outcome.

Dissatisfied with the judgment of the lower court, Atiku filed a notice of appeal on September 18, followed by Obi’s notice of appeal.

A seven-member panel of justices of the apex court, headed by Justice John Inyang Okoro, commenced delivery of the much-awaited verdict by 9:20a.m. yesterday. The first to be determined was an appeal by Atiku.

At the last proceedings, on Monday, Chris Uche (SAN), who led the legal team of Atiku and PDP, had informed the court of an interlocutory application seeking the leave of the court to present fresh evidence in the appeal. The fresh evidence Atiku sought to tender are the academic records of Tinubu, which were handed over to him by the Chicago State University (CSU) on October 2.

Tinubu’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), raised an objection to the admissibility of the depositions, saying such depositions have to be adopted by the individual that deposed to it before it can be admitted as evidence before a court. Abubakar Mahmoud, Olanipekun, and Akin Olujimi, all SANs, who represented INEC, Tinubu, and APC, in their preliminary objections urged the court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit and misconceived.

In the ruling on the motion, the apex court dismissed the motion by Atiku, seeking leave of court to file fresh evidence. Ruling on the motion, Justice John Inyang Okoro, held that a clinical look at the issues formulated by all the parties, it is clear that the argument is whether this court, as presently constituted, has the power to grant the motion.

Justice Okoro held that out of the seven issues distilled by Atiku for determination, none is related or covered forgery, which the appellant is seeking to bring in. “The Constitution does not permit that, and this court has no jurisdiction to grant the filing of fresh evidence that was not pleaded at the PEPC.”

More so, the Supreme Court noted that Atiku did not even deem it fit to file for an amendment of his pleadings and for extension of time, since the 180 days allowed by the Constitution had elapsed since September 17.

“Facts and documents which were not pleaded in the petition have no place in deciding the dispute between the parties. It is my view that there is no merit in this appeal, and it is hereby dismissed,” Justice Okoro ruled.

Research Team

6 hours ago

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The Nigerian oil and gas industry was totally sidelined by foreign investors in Q2 2023 for the first time on record, as the once lucrative sector attracted no capital inflow in the review quarter.

This is according to analysis of data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Nigeria recorded a total of $1.03 billion as capital importation in Q2 2023, slightly lower than the $1.13 billion recorded in the previous quarter, which is also 32.9% lower than the $1.54 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2022. It is also worth noting that the Q2 2023’s figure is the lowest since the second quarter of 2021.

A further breakdown of the data from the NBS indicates that most of the foreign inflows during the period came into the country as loans, accounting for 74.9% of the total capital import. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment which was $86.03 million accounted for 8.4%, while foreign portfolio investment with $106.85 million accounted for 10.4% of the total.

27th October 2023

By  Peter Akinbo

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Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is in to Nigeria to continue his recovery from the injury he suffered during the recent Super Eagle’s friendly against Saudi Arabia, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Osimhen flew to Germany alongside his teammates, who were going for a Champions League group stage game against Union Berlin on Wednesday, but did not stay with them. The striker instead flew to Nigeria for personal reasons.

“Victor Osimhen was traveling to Frankfurt but not to stay in Germany and obviously not to follow the team to Berlin as some had suspected after the images among the fans in Capodichino. The striker had flown to Frankfurt on Tuesday but to reach Nigeria for personal reasons. The attacker had already spoken about it with De Laurentiis. The trip was therefore planned,” the Italian publication read.

The report also stated that the Neapolitan striker is continuing his recovery process in Nigeria, as it will take at least another 30 days to see him back on the pitch together with his teammates.

“As of now, we don’t know if they kidnapped anybody but I can confirm to you that three persons have been shot dead.”

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FILE – Nigeria’s new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, center, after taking an oath of office at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, May 29, 2023. An appeals court in Nigeria was to rule Sept. 6, 2023, on whether Tinubu’s election victory in February was legitimate, 

An appeals court in Nigeria was to rule Wednesday on whether President Bola Tinubu’s election victory in February was legitimate — a highly anticipated decision that has put Africa’s most populous country on edge.

The election results were challenged by the opposition, which claimed that Tinubu, who has now been in office for 100 days, was not qualified to run because he, among other things, allegedly did not have a required high school certificate or a college or university diploma.

Security was tight in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, where five judges at the Court of Appeal were to hand down their ruling. Under the law, the tribunal is empowered to either uphold Tinubu’s election win, declare someone else the winner, annul the vote or order a new election. Its decision can be appealed before Nigeria’s Supreme Court.

The opposition has hinted at possible protests if the court rules in favor of Tinubu.

Analysts say Wednesday’s ruling will be significant for this country of more than 210 million people. If the February presidential election is annulled, it would be a first in Nigeria’s history. If upheld, the ruling would boost the role of the election commission, which the opposition claims violated the law. It could also open a path for the body to decide on its own when and how election results are announced in the future.

Under the law, a presidential election can be annulled only on evidence that the national electoral body did not follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result.

On Tuesday, police in Abuja issued a statement warning citizens “to be cautious in their actions and statements,” saying security forces would not “condone activities capable of inciting violence or causing a descent into anarchy.”

The 71-year-old Tinubu won the election with less than 50% of the vote, also a first in Nigeria’s history. The election results are being contested by three opposition candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice president who came in second, and Peter Obi of the Labor Party, who finished third.

Both opposition candidates filed separate petitions arguing that Tinubu was not qualified to become president and claiming the electoral commission did not follow due process in announcing the winner. The delays in uploading and announcing election results could have given room for the ballots to be tampered with, critics say.

The opposition has also alleged that Tinubu was indicted for drug trafficking in the United States, that he is a citizen of Guinea which disqualifies him to run in presidential elections in Nigeria, and that his academic qualifications were forged.

Tinubu has denied all the allegations. Since taking office, he has introduced measures that he said would reform the ailing economy but that have over the past months further squeezed millions of poor and hungry Nigerians.

On Tuesday, Nigeria Labor Congress workers launched a two-day “warning strike” to protest the growing cost of living due to the removal of gas subsidies, threatening to “shut down” Africa’s largest economy if their demands for improved welfare are not met.

It was their second strike in over a month.

Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, all presidential elections but one have been contested in court. None has been overturned.

FILE – Nigeria’s new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, center, after taking an oath of office at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, May 29, 2023. An appeals court in Nigeria was to rule Sept. 6, 2023, on whether Tinubu’s election victory in February was legitimate, 

An appeals court in Nigeria was to rule Wednesday on whether President Bola Tinubu’s election victory in February was legitimate — a highly anticipated decision that has put Africa’s most populous country on edge.

The election results were challenged by the opposition, which claimed that Tinubu, who has now been in office for 100 days, was not qualified to run because he, among other things, allegedly did not have a required high school certificate or a college or university diploma.

Security was tight in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, where five judges at the Court of Appeal were to hand down their ruling. Under the law, the tribunal is empowered to either uphold Tinubu’s election win, declare someone else the winner, annul the vote or order a new election. Its decision can be appealed before Nigeria’s Supreme Court.

The opposition has hinted at possible protests if the court rules in favor of Tinubu.

Analysts say Wednesday’s ruling will be significant for this country of more than 210 million people. If the February presidential election is annulled, it would be a first in Nigeria’s history. If upheld, the ruling would boost the role of the election commission, which the opposition claims violated the law. It could also open a path for the body to decide on its own when and how election results are announced in the future.

Under the law, a presidential election can be annulled only on evidence that the national electoral body did not follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result.

On Tuesday, police in Abuja issued a statement warning citizens “to be cautious in their actions and statements,” saying security forces would not “condone activities capable of inciting violence or causing a descent into anarchy.”

The 71-year-old Tinubu won the election with less than 50% of the vote, also a first in Nigeria’s history. The election results are being contested by three opposition candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice president who came in second, and Peter Obi of the Labor Party, who finished third.

Both opposition candidates filed separate petitions arguing that Tinubu was not qualified to become president and claiming the electoral commission did not follow due process in announcing the winner. The delays in uploading and announcing election results could have given room for the ballots to be tampered with, critics say.

The opposition has also alleged that Tinubu was indicted for drug trafficking in the United States, that he is a citizen of Guinea which disqualifies him to run in presidential elections in Nigeria, and that his academic qualifications were forged.

Tinubu has denied all the allegations. Since taking office, he has introduced measures that he said would reform the ailing economy but that have over the past months further squeezed millions of poor and hungry Nigerians.

On Tuesday, Nigeria Labor Congress workers launched a two-day “warning strike” to protest the growing cost of living due to the removal of gas subsidies, threatening to “shut down” Africa’s largest economy if their demands for improved welfare are not met.

It was their second strike in over a month.

Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, all presidential elections but one have been contested in court. None has been overturned.

Opposition parties and their supporters in Nigeria are rejecting Wednesday’s judgment by Nigeria’s presidential election tribunal that upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election. Tinubu’s main political rivals asked the court to invalidate February’s election, alleging irregularities and fraud.

The main opposition to Bola Tinubu’s February election win came from his challengers, Atiku Abubakar, of the People’s Democratic Party, or PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Both parties, in separate statements, late Wednesday rejected the court ruling indicating Tinubu won. The Labour Party said justice was not served and that the judges manipulated the law to subvert the will of the people.

The PDP criticized the judgment and said it was based on technicalities and failed to take into account facts and provisions of the law.

Atiku and Obi were seeking to invalidate Tinubu’s election, citing fraud and deliberate manipulation by the electoral body that swayed the outcome in favor of the ruling party.

But a five-man panel of justices dismissed the petitions on the grounds that the opposition parties lacked evidence to back their claims that irregularities swayed the outcome of the polls and merely engaged in a wild goose chase.

Nigeria’s Supreme Court confirmed President Bola Tinubu as the winner of February’s presidential election, dismissing challenges brought by his political opposition, who cited flaws in the voting system and said Tinubu lacked qualifications.

The court said Thursday that the challenges were “devoid of merits.” The ruling follows a decision in which two other candidates saw their petitions rejected by an appeals court last month, clearing the way for Tinubu’s presidency.

The candidates who appealed the election results, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, stated that the electoral commission failed to electronically transmit results from polling stations to an online portal. Abubakar and Obi came in second and third, respectively, in the February vote.

They also argued that Tinubu had won less than 25% of the vote in the federal capital, Abuja, short of the legal threshold to become president.

Abubakar’s lawyers tried to submit evidence that Tinubu had forged academic credentials from an American university, but the court denied this, stating that it was not reflected in the original petition within the time frame provided by the Nigerian Constitution.

“Facts and documents which were not pleaded in the petition have no place in deciding the dispute between the parties,” Justice Inyang Okoro said.

The court’s ruling follows a trend in which several other Nigerian elections have been challenged for alleged ballot-tampering and fraud, but none have been overturned.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

The courts, however, disagreed with this interpretation, ruling that Tinubu had indeed met the required threshold of winning 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of all 36 states and Abuja combined.

Most Nigerian elections have sparked legal disputes since the country established democratic rule in 1999. However, Nigeria’s Supreme Court has never upended a presidential result.

Nigeria’s Supreme Court affirms Tinubu’s presidential victory

Nigeria’s highest court dismisses the opposition’s claims of fraud and electoral law violations.

Published On 26 Oct 202326 Oct 2023

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has upheld the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ending months of legal battlesover the presidential race.

The seven-member court ruled on Thursday against the opposition’s challenges of fraud and electoral law breaches during the election.