Tuesday Top Headlines In Nigeria Including Peter Obi
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Greetings to our fellow Nigerians, welcome to the Africa Spy roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Tuesday, 7th November 2023.
1. ‘Supreme Court Treated Tinubu’s Certificate Forgery With Levity’ – Peter Obi
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023, presidential election, Peter Obi, has accused the Supreme Court of treating the allegations of forgery and identity theft against President Bola Tinubu with levity.
Obi made this claim on Monday during a world press conference in Abuja.
The former Governor of Anambra State said the Supreme Court ruling was a show of force against Nigerians.
He, however, vowed to continue his pursuit of hope for all Nigerians.
2. EFCC Fails To Produce Ex-CBN Gov, Emefiele In Court
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, failed to produce the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Naija News understands that Emefiele was not produced in court despite an order of a trial judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi for EFCC to produce him in court for hearing of his motion on fundamental rights enforcement.
Justice Adeniyi had last week ordered the anti-graft agency to release the former CBN governor unconditionally or produce him in court for the hearing of a motion determining his bail.
This follows his arrest by the EFCC shortly after his release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in late October.
The court has now adjourned till Wednesday, November 8 for a hearing of Emefiele’s motion on notice and for his counsel to provide additional documents.
It also restated its November 2 order for Emefiele’s unconditional release, or to produce him in court on Wednesday.
3. INEC Displayed Incompetence In Conduct Of 2023 Elections – Peter Obi
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of incompetence and dereliction of duty in the conduct of the 2023 elections.
Speaking on Monday during a press conference to address the position of the Supreme Court on the 2023 elections, Obi said the electoral body showed how national institutions have negatively affected the country’s democracy.
The LP flagbearer added that the judiciary has largely acted in defiance of constitutional tenets, precedents, and established ground rules.
4. Court Strikes Out Case Against Ondo Deputy Gov, Aiyedatiwa, Gives Directives
A High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital, on Monday, struck out the suit filed by the state Government and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu over the compilation of record of appeal.
The claimants in the case had sued four registrars of the High Court, the Deputy Governor, the House of Assembly, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Judge of Ondo State, claiming that the procedure of settlement and compilation of record of appeal for the hearing of the appeal filed by the Deputy Governor would infringe on their rights.
Justice D. I. Kolawole, when the case was called up, said the claimants through their counsel applied to withdraw the suit, claiming that events had overtaken the suit.
The counsel for the Deputy Governor in response to the withdrawal opposed the oral application to withdraw the suit, contending that issues had been joined by filing a defence to the suit and also a counter-claim.
The judge in his ruling held that the rules of the Court permit the claimants to withdraw the suit and it was accordingly struck out.
The court in its ruling, directed all the parties to continue to maintain the peace and thereafter adjourned the case to November 22, 2023, for hearing of applications.
5. Enugu Governor, Mbah Wins In NYSC Certificate Forgery Case
The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order restraining the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from further denying issuing the Certificate being paraded by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment on Monday, held that evidence before the court showed that Mbah properly participated in the NYSC programme and that the NYSC issued him a certificate of completion.
Justice Ekwo held that the NYSC misrepresented facts in its claim that it did not issue the certificate Mbah submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the last governorship election.
The judge faulted the NYSC for not producing before the court, two files containing information about Mbah’s participation in the programme, noting that the corps handled the case with levity.
Justice Ekwo, therefore, awarded N5 million in damages against the NYSC, and in favour of Mbah.
6. Appeal Court Reserves Judgment On Kano Gov Election
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State to challenge his removal by the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
During Monday’s proceedings, Wole Olanipekun, the Counsel to Governor Abba, asked that the judgment of the tribunal be set aside.
While disagreeing on the ruling on ballot papers, the senior lawyer says this was the first time in history that a tribunal will annul an election over non-signing of the back of ballot papers.
He stated that the tribunal erred. He argued further that that was the first time a political party would file a matter without joining its candidate as a party in the petition and the candidate would be declared winner of the polls.
Counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Akin Olujimi however, countered him saying the appeal court stated emphatically that the non-signing of ballots amounted to electoral malpractice.
He argued that INEC regulations have set out what presiding officers are to do at the point of voting, adding that the back of ballot papers must be signed and dated.
The appeal court panel subsequently reserved judgment, saying a date would be communicated to the parties.
President Bola Tinubu’s government has slammed the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the last election, Peter Obi, over his statement on the outcome of the Supreme Court verdict on petitions challenging the outcome of the Febuary 25 election.
Naija News earlier reported that Peter Obi, during his World Press Conference today (Monday), said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) displayed incompetence in the conduct of the 2023 elections, but the apex court willfully condoned the electoral body’s incompetence and violation of the law.
The former Governor of Anambra State said the Supreme Court judgment amounted to a breach of confidence Nigerians have in the judiciary.
However, the presidency, in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday night, urged Peter Obi to consider taking a better vocation instead of casting aspersions on the judiciary, which he had once benefited from.
He said Peter Obi, having officially declared LP as an opposition party, was free to take another shot at the 2027 election and focus on issues and not religious or ethnic sentiments.
8. Suspended Adamawa REC, Yunusa-Ari Fails To Appear In Court
The suspended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Hudi Yunusa-Ari, has failed to appear in court for his arraignment.
The presiding judge, Justice Benjamin Manji of the State High Court in Yola, has, therefore, ordered INEC to produce him in court during its next sitting on November 23, 2023.
According to the prosecution counsel to INEC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the police made several attempts to serve him the hearing notice by visiting his home but met his absence several times.
Jacobs added that the defendant’s surety also could not be traced.
Justice Manji, however, wondered why the police who granted him bail through a surety could neither get the defendant nor the surety.
He, therefore, granted the prosecution counsel’s request for two weeks for the defendant to appear before the court.
9. Appeal Court Reinstate Datti, Sacks Kwankwaso
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday sacked Musa Ilyasu Kwankwaso of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and reinstated Yusuf Umar Datti of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency Election.
Naija News reports that the three-panel led by Justice Tunde Oyebamiji Awotoye allowed an Appeal by Yusuf Datti and averred that the tribunal was wrong to have counted the date of the Appellant’s resignation on the date of his party’s primary election and that Section 77 of the Electoral Act was misapplied.
The appellate court stated that no court has jurisdiction on the issue of membership of the party.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the NNPP candidate as the winner of the February 25 poll.
Dissatisfied, Kwankwaso filed a petition seeking the nullification of Datti’s victory.
In September, the tribunal sacked the NNPP candidate and declared Kwankwaso the winner of the poll on the ground that the NNPP candidate did not resign as a member of staff of the Bayero University Kano (BUK) before contesting his party’s primary election.
Datti appealed the verdict of the tribunal.
10. Peter Obi Speaks On Ending Obidient Movement Following Supreme Court Judgement
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has revealed that the obidient movement would not be disbanded following the Supreme Court verdict which affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 elections.
Speaking on Monday during a press conference to address the position of the Supreme Court on the elections, Obi said the young people would be built and made stronger.
He added that though the legal battle for him and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as well as the Labour Party is over, the struggle to make Nigeria better continues.
