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Buhari Too Slow, Nigeria Falling Apart – Northern Elders

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Why We'll Continue To Lead Nigeria - Northern Elders

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday came under attack by Northern Elders Forum (NEF) for what the group considered his slow style of governance .

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) said on Arise Television that some key parts of the country need to be fixed before 2023, else there would be “too massive problems” by then.

He said if he had the opportunity of sitting with Buhari to discuss the nation, given the state of things, he would tell the president to wake up to his responsibilities as the country is falling apart.

“If I have an opportunity to speak with the president, I will say: ‘Sir, please wake up and smell the coffee, this country is falling apart,” Baba-Ahmed said.

“It is in very serious danger, it is going down under your watch. You swore in 2015 and again in 2019 that you will protect citizens, the territorial integrity of Nigeria. Sorry, sir, you are not doing that, doing it well or you are not doing it at all. And one of the things you should do is to call about 200 to 500 Nigerians, without any preconditions, and say: ‘ladies and gentlemen, I believe that this government will benefit from some quality advice in terms of the way forward.”

READ ALSO: Court Orders Extension Of NIN Registration

“Two, take your governors more into confidence, speak to them. They are very important people. They have responsibilities under the constitution and they are able to carry out those responsibilities particularly on matters of security. What do you want? What can we do together? What can I do for you and what can we consider a legitimate idea or a crazy idea?

“Thirdly, please ask real questions about what is going on with the security in this country. Something is wrong. You keep changing things but we see the same result. We are becoming insecure by the day. Either it is your attitude as commander-in-chief of the armed forces or the people you trust to defend and protect us. There must be something about the security that you and the people who are fighting this country don’t understand.

“Why are we being so insecure? Why is it not possible for Nigerians to deal with banditry, kidnappings? These things 2,3 years ago did not exist. Is anybody asking these questions? Is it that you have this harmony in your security agencies? Do you have a way of finding out because we don’t have the time for you to fix this country at your own leisure and the rate you are going, you are too slow and people are smelling a vacuum around your government and this is why you see people saying we don’t want to be part of Nigeria.

“That’s an expression of opinion. When these opinions intensify and become popular as we are beginning to see in some parts of the south-west, south-east, you now have citizens who are now legitimately beginning to think this country represents a threat to us, we don’t want to be part of this country.

“What happened to the country, to the oath you took to protect Nigeria? Those are the kinds of questions I will ask Mr President. Hopefully, he will have some answers and if he doesn’t, the solution will be asking those who know.”

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BREAKING: Tinubu, Shettima Know Fate On Disqualification From Presidency On Friday

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Tinubu and Shettima

Whether the Supreme Court will nullify the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over alleged double nomination or not will be decided on Friday May 26, 2023.

The apex court on Monday, adjourned to the above date to deliver its judgment in the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shortly after taking submissions from the counsel representing parties in the suit.

Specifically, the PDP is seeking the disqualification of the President-elect, Tinubu and the Vice-President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, over alleged double nomination; an act which they say violates the electoral laws.

The appellant anchored its appeal on the claims that the appellate court erred in law when it dismissed its appeal and affirmed the judgment of a trial court which held that the suit was incompetent and lacking in merit.

PDP is claiming that the APC breached the law when it nominated Shettima as the senatorial candidate for Borno Central and as vice-presidential candidate.

At Monday’s proceedings, while APC’s lawyer, Mr Babatunde Ogala (SAN), asked the court to strike out the case on the grounds that it has become statute barred, because the 180 days stipulated by law to hear the suit has elapsed, PDP’s lawyer, Mr Joe Agi (SAN), disagreed.

It is Agi’s position that the issue of 180 days does not apply in respect of double nomination, adding that since the act is purely an illegality, the court has the right to entertain the appeal.

“They have done that before, they did it in the case of Nwosu and APC and they will do it again,” Agim added.

The appellant accordingly urged the apex court to grant the appeal, set aside the concurrent decision of the two lower courts and nullify the election of Tinubu and the vice-president-elect for alleged double nomination.

The PDP had by their appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/108/2023, urged the appellate court to reverse the January 13 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja which dismissed its suit on the grounds that the PDP lacked locus standi to have instituted the suit.

The three-member panel of justices of the Court of Appeal, in the lead judgment held that the PDP failed to establish its locus standi in the case.

Justice James Abundaga, who delivered the judgment of the appellate court, had agreed with the respondents that the PDP is a busy body, which dabbled in issues that are internal affairs of the APC.

“The appellant, having failed to disclose its locus standi, this appeal fails and it is hereby dismissed,” he said and proceeded to affirm the judgment of the Federal High Court.

Justice Abundaga awarded N5 million cost against the appellant’s lawyer, J. O. Olotu.

The PDP had, in the suit filed on July 28, 2022, challenged the validity of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2023 presidential election, arguing that Shettima’s nomination as the running mate was in breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84{1)}(2)} of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).

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BREAKING: Court Disqualifies Alex Otti As Governor-elect,  Others In Abia, Kano

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Alex Otti

The Abia State Governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti and all the candidates of the Labour Party in Abia and Kano States have been disqualified.

The disqualification came from a Federal High Court sitting in Kano, presided over by Justice M N Yunusa.

The court ruled that their emergence was not in compliance with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act.

A copy of the judgement delivered by the court was made available to newsmen on Friday.

The Court in Suit No FHC/KN/CS/107/2023 filed by Mr Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim against the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ruled that the failure of the Labour Party to submit its membership register to the INEC within 30 days before their primaries renders the process invalid.

“The party that has not complied with the provisions of the electoral act cannot be said to have a candidate in an election and cannot be declared winner of an election; this being so, the votes credited to the 1st defendant are a wasted vote,” the judge ruled.

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BREAKING: Adeleke, Oyetola Know Fates As Supreme Court Rules On Osun Governorship Poll Tomorrow

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Oyetola and Adeleke

By tomorrow Tuesday, Ademola Adeleke will know if he remains the Osun State helmsman as the Supreme Court will rule on the governorship poll dispute.

The ruling is on an appeal filed by former Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola against Governor Adeleke’s victory in the July 2022 governorship election in the state.

Oyetola is asking the apex court to set aside the ruling of the appellate court which nullified the judgement of the election tribunal.

The election tribunal had declared Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election.

Oyetola was declared the winner by the election tribunal after he went to court to challenge the victory of Adeleke, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Delivering judgment on January 27, two out of the three-member panel held that the former governor was able to prove that there was over-voting in some of the polling units.

Adeleke had rejected the judgment, describing it as “a miscarriage of justice” and “an unfair interpretation against the will of majority of voters”.

In the 31 grounds of appeal, Adeleke begged the court for “an order setting aside the whole decision of the tribunal”.

He also sought “an order striking out the petition for want of competence and jurisdiction or in the alternative, an order dismissing the petition on the merit”.

Adeleke submitted that the tribunal exhibited bias when it said: “The second respondent cannot ‘go lo lo lo lo’ and ‘buga won’ as the duly elected governor of Osun state.”

The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices on Friday, held that the appeal the governor lodged to challenge his sacking by the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, was meritorious.

Aside from setting aside the judgement of the tribunal, the court, in its lead judgement that was delivered by Justice Mohammed Lawal, awarded N500,000 cost against APC and its candidate, Oyetola.

However, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court announced on Monday that judgment will be delivered on the matter at 2 pm on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

This comes after the panel took arguments from the legal representatives of Adeleke and Oyetola.

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