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Day: May 8, 2023

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  2. 08 May 2023
Akpabio, right with Gov. Bello and Senator Barau

APC zones Senate Presidency to Akpabio’s South South, Speaker North West

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has zoned the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly to the South South, the zone of the leading aspirant Godswill Akpabio.

Mr Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, announced this on Monday in Abuja while addressing newsmen after a closed door meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Morka said the meeting considered reports of consultations and meetings held with the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu on zoning arrangement for 10th National Assembly leadership positions.

“The NWC noted with respect to the outcome of the meetings held between the President-elect and the leadership of the NWC.

“The NWC called for further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure the support of the aspirants to the National Assembly leadership positions and members of the party nationwide,” he said.

He added that the zoning arrangement reported to the party’s NWC is as follows:

*Senate President – South South Sen. Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom).

*Deputy Senate President – North West-Sen. Barau Jubrin (Kano).

*Speaker. House of Representatives North West- Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna) and Deputy Speaker South East- Ben Kalu (Abia).

The APC scribe urged the party’s leaders, members and Nigerians generally to continue to work for peace and progress of the country during and beyond the current period of leadership transition.

Judges at the PEPC( Presidential Election Tribunal

Presidential Election Tribunal gives hearing date for Labour Party, APP petitions

The Presidential Election Petition Court, (PEPC), has adjourned till Wednesday pre-hearing in the petitions filed by the Action Peoples Party, (APP) and Labour Party.

The five-member panel, led byJustice Haruna Tsammani had its inaugural sitting on Monday.

The court would also hear the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and its Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday.

When the petition of the Labour Party was called, Mr Levi Uzoukwu, SAN, announced appearance for the party and for Mr Peter Obi.

Uzoukwu told the panel that he had filed his clients answers to the pre-hearing questions and that he adopted and relied on same for the proceedings.

Mr Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, who announced appearance for the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) also told the court that he had filed his responses to the pre-hearing questions on behalf of his client.

Mahmoud also told the court that he would adopt same as INEC’s answers to all the questions.

Representing the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu and the Vice-President-elect, Kashim Shettima, Mr Wole Olanipekun told the court that he had filed all the responses to the pre-hearing questions on behalf of his clients and adopted same.

In the same vein, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, representing the All Progressives Congress, (APC), told the court that he had filed answers in response to the pre-hearing questions on behalf of his client and was ready to argue same when a date was fixed.

Justice Tsammani advised parties to meet and resolve documents that they would be objecting to and those they would not object and to also harmonise their processes.

He then adjourned the matter until Wednesday at 2 P.M.

Earlier, Justice Tsammani said that the panel had five petitions before it but that only three petitions would be heard on Monday while the other two would be taken on Tuesday.

The petitions heard were those filed by Action Alliance (AA) marked: CA/PEPC/01/2023, Action Peoples Party (APP) marked: CA/PEPC/02/2023 and Peter Obi & Labour Party (LP) marked: CA/PEPC/03/2023.
However, AA withdrew its petition and it was subsequently dismissed.

Justice Tsammani also assured the lawyers and litigants that the panel would do justice to all petitions and that all would be satisfied with the verdict at the end of the case.

He cautioned against making sensational comments and also advised the lawyers to focus on the substance of their petitions and avoid technicalities.

Other members of the panel are Justice Stephen Adah of Asaba division of the court, Justice Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf also of Asaba, Justice Boloukuoromo Ugo of Kano division and Justice Abah Mohammed of Ibadan division.

In their separate responses, lawyers for the parties reassured the court of their readiness and willingness to make the panel’s task easy.

The tribunal will hear petitions against the election of Tinubu as President-elect following the Feb. 25 Presidential Election.

Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau of APC, Peter Obi of Labour Party, Mr Julius Abure, also of Labour Party were present in court.

Tinubu with Governor Dave Umahi

Tinubu urged me to step down for Akpabio, says Gov. Umahi

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Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has disclosed that the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urged him to step down for Sen. Godswill Akpabio in the race for the 10th Senate’s presidency.

Umahi made the disclosure on Monday at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Onueke while answering questions from newsmen on arrival to the state from Abuja.

The governor said that he discussed the issue of his senate presidency bid with Tinubu and had to accede to his request in the interest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the South East zone.

“I discussed the issue with him when he was in Paris and on return to the country, he invited me.

“It was an honour to be invited by the president-elect and he told me that he had made commitments.

“It is his right as the president-elect to make commitments and anyone running for such office makes promises.

“I did not want to be a clog in the wheel of his progress so I accepted,” he said.

Umahi said that his withdrawal from the race was in the interest of the south east as it could no longer continue to be in the opposition.

“We cannot continue opposing everything as politics is all about dialogue, give and take.

“What could have happened if I said no and considering our efforts to promote the APC in the zone, we will get a tangible position,” he said.

The governor said that he was not aware of any resolution of south east senators to support former Abia Governor, Sen. Orji Kalu for the position.

“I am the chairman of the Akpabio campaign council and can tell you that we have more APC senators on our side,” he said.

He said that he would never lobby to be appointed a minister in the incoming administration but leave the decision to destiny, Tinubu and the party.

“I will accept whatever God wills for me but as a person, I will prefer to be in the senate to rest.

“I will however, have no choice if it is the sacrifice to make in the interest of the party, south east and to help the president-elect,” he said.

L-R Justices Adah, Misitura and Tsammani

Faces of the judges at the Presidential Election Tribunal

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The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), otherwise known as the election tribunal began sitting in Abuja on Monday.

It will hear petitions filed by aggrieved presidential aspirants against the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners of the 2023 Presidential Election.

The panel of justices has five-members, with Justice Haruna Tsammani as Chairman.
Other members of the panel are Justice Stephen Adah, Justice Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf, Justice Boloukuoromo Ugo and Justice Abbah Mohammed.

Here is a brief bio about the Justices:

Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, the Chairman:

Was educated at LEA Primary School, Tarawa Balewa, between 1967 and 1973 and Government Secondary School, Maiduguri between 1973 and 1978.
Tsammani went to Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria to read law between 1978 and 1982. He was called to the bar in 1983, after a year in the Law School in Lagos.
Ever thirsty for more knowledge, he went to Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at UNILAG, Abubakar Tarawa Balewa University in home state and University of Jos.
He was first appointed as a judge of the Bauchi state High Court in 1998 and 12 years. Later, he was appointed to the court of appeal.

Hon. Justice Stephen Jonah Adah:

Adah was born on 30 July 1957 in Dekina, Kogi state. He was first appointed as a judge of the Appeal Court in November 2012.
Young Adah had his primary education in four schools, from 1964. He spent the longest time at N.A. Primary School in Idah, where he passed out in 1970.
He went straight to St. Peters College, also in Idah for his secondary education, from 1971 to 1975.
After a year at Ilorin Teachers College, he went to School of Basic Studies at Ugbokolo for his A-Level and then Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to read law. He graduated in 1981 and was called to the bar in 1982.
He was appointed as a judge of the Federal High Court in 1998.

Justice Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf:
She was born in Oyo on 7 August 1959. After her primary education, she went to Iranian Grammar School, also in Oyo, where she spent just one session.
She then left for Bremen Asikuma Secondary School, Central Region of Ghana, where she finished her education in 1976.
In 1979, she was admitted to read law at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. She completed the programme in 1983 and was called to the bar in 1984.
Misitura joined the bench of Oyo state in January 1997. In March 2014, she was appointed to the Court of Appeal.

Justice Boloukuoromo Ugo
Justice Boloukuoromo Ugo


Hon. Justice Boloukuoromo Moses Ugo:
Moses Ugo is the youngest judge on the panel. He was born 7 June 1965 in Kolokuma Bayelsa State.
He had his primary education at State School, Igbedi and secondary at Government Secondary School, Asoama, Sabagreia, all in Bayelsa.
Ugo read law at University of Calabar between 1985 and 1989. He was called to the bar in 1990.
He was appointed into Bayelsa High Court in 2006 and eight years after, became a judge of the Appeal Court.
Justice Abba Bello Mohammed
Justice Abba Bello Mohammed


Hon. Justice Abba Bello Mohammed: He is a most recently appointed judge of the Appeal Court. He was appointed in June 2021 from the FCT High Court.
Bello Mohammed was born on 19 February 1961. He is from Kano State.
He was educated at Tudor Wada Primary School( 1967-1974) and Government Secondary School Dambatta(1974-1979).
He also went to School of Preliminary Studies(1979-81), Institute of Admin, A.B.U. Zaria(1981-1984). He was called to the bar in 1985 and appointed a judge of the High Court of FCT in 2010.

Top L-R- Justices Tsammani, Abba Bello Mohammed; below L-R Ugo, Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf and Justice Stephen Ada

Tribunal justices to lawyers: Avoid technicalities, focus on substance

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The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), sitting in Abuja, has asked lawyers representing all petitioners to avoid unnecessary technicalities and address the substance of their petitions.

The five-member panel with Justice Haruna Tsammani as Chairman, said this at the inaugural sitting of the panel.

The panel started sitting on Monday to hear petitions filed by aggrieved presidential aspirants against the declaration of Sen. Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners of the disputed 2023 Presidential Election.

Other members of the panel are Justice Stephen Adah, Justice Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf,
Justice Boloukuoromo Ugo and Justice Abbah Mohammed.

In his opening speech, Justice Tsammani urged the lawyers not to engage in unnecessary technicalities as such could cause delays in the expeditious hearing of the petitions.

“Election is time bound, let us not waste unnecessary time, let us cooperate with each other so that everyone will leave here satisfied.

“Avoid unnecessary technicalities. We are determined to look at all the matters brought before us.

“Let us look at what is good for our country and avoid time wasting applications,” he said.

He said that there were five petitions and the first three petitions would be heard on Monday while the last two would be heard on Tuesday.

Responding, Mr Wole Olanipekun, SAN, said that as lawyers, they were bound by the law and would adhere strictly to the rule of law throughout the proceedings.

Olanipekun gave the assurance that the lawyers would give their full support to the court.

Other senior advocates also agreed with Olanipekun.

While the judges went on recess after the opening to prepare to hear the petitions, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, walked into the courtroom and exchanged pleasantries with lawyers and litigants in court.

Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, declared Tinubu winner of the Feb. 25 Presidential Election.

Dissatisfied with the announcement, the candidates of the Labour Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and others dragged the commission, the APC and Tinubu to court challenging his victory.

Members of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) would adjudicate on all petitions filed against the declaration of Tinubu and the APC as winners of the disputed 2023 Presidential Election.

About

Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a man of many traditional honours across the country, from north to south, west to east. The array of titles he has garnered was only comparable to that of Chief Moshood Abiola, winner of the 1993 Presidential election.

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