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Atiku’s evidence from Chicago irrelevant, Tinubu tells Supreme Court
President Bola Tinubu has asked the Supreme Court to discountenance his Chicago State University academic records attached by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, to his election petition appeal, saying it is alien to the judicial proceedings in the country.
Tinubu asserted that the CSU discovery was not part of the record or the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, urging the apex court not to admit it.
The president further said the former vice-president had the habit of first filing a petition and afterwards hunting for evidence, noting that he had exhibited that while appealing the tribunal judgment.
The president in his response to Atiku’s appeal filed Saturday by his lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, held that the claim that his credentials contained discrepancies was merely cooked up by the PDP standard bearer in the February presidential election.
He said, “Appellants’ submission under paragraph 6.45 of their brief further exposes the entire attitude of the appellants before the lower court, that is, the attitude of first filing a petition and then fishing for evidence during the pendency of the petition and even up to the point of appeal to this honourable court.
“Without prejudice to our objection to this issue, we submit that the arguments regarding a purported “Case No. 1:23-CV05009-Re: Application of Atiku for an Order Directing Discovery from Chicago State University…” is alien to these proceedings, does not arise from the record or the judgment of the lower court and cannot be countenanced by this honourable court and we urge the court to so hold.”
Stating that he was validly returned as the winner of the presidential poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the former Lagos State governor added that by statistics, he garnered one-quarter or 25 per cent of the total votes in 29 states of the federation.
Tinubu prayed the court to dismiss Atiku’s appeal and affirm the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court which upheld his election, having polled the highest number of votes.
He further stated Atiku resorted to cooking up allegations against him when he and the PDP failed to secure evidence to support their claim that he was not qualified to have contested the election.
Tinubu argued that Atiku brought up fresh issues, which included previous conviction/fine, forgery, and dual citizenship, among others after he had responded to his petition.
He said, “For the 3rd respondent, we beckon on the court towards the entirety of the 3rd respondent’s reply on the one hand (see pages 461-514 (vol.1) of the record), and the whole of Part B (save paragraph 35 thereof) of the petitioner’s reply to the 3rd respondent’s reply (see pages 1722 -1731 (vol.3) of the record) on the other hand.
“A dispassionate examination of these paragraphs will reveal that the appellants as petitioners were only out to spring surprises at the respondent as none of the highlighted paragraphs of their said replies was meant to reply to any new issue raised in the respondents’ reply.
‘“It was through these paragraphs that they introduced various fresh issues, including allegations of previous conviction/fine, forgery, and dual citizenship against the 2nd respondent amidst sundry unfounded claims.’’
Responding to the appellants’ claims on modes of election result transmission, the President cited paragraphs 38 (I); 50(xx), and 53 (xii) of the Electoral Act and submitted that the Act created an alternative between electronic transmission and transfer with the use of ‘’or’’.
He noted, “For instance, paragraph 38(i), which deals with movement from the polling unit states that ‘on completion of all the polling unit voting and results procedures, the Presiding Officer shall: (i) Electronically transmit or transfer the result of the Polling Unit direct to the collation system as prescribed by the Commission.’
“Paragraph 50(xx) provides that ‘the Registration Area/Ward Collation Officer shall: Electronically transmit or transfer the result directly to the next level of collation as prescribed by the Commission.
“ Paragraph 53(xii) provides that ‘the Local Government/Area Council Collation Officer for the Presidential Election shall Electronically transmit or transfer the result directly to the next level of collation, as prescribed by the Commission.”
Tinubu held that in any event, the absence of the electronically transmitted results or results from the IREV portal did not necessarily create a brick wall in the absence of an INEC hardcopy of collated results.
On the issue of 25 per cent in the Federal Capital Territory, he said the PDP candidate failed to prove that he must record 25 per cent of votes cast in the FCT to be declared winner, pointing out that FCT residents do not have special voting rights over others.
He said, ‘’While the appellants did not even discharge the burden placed on them to demonstrate their assertion that a candidate in a presidential election should win 25 per cent of the votes in the FCT before he can be declared winner, the respondent tendered Exhibit RA 11 titled, ‘Report of the Committee on the Location of the Federal Capital Territory,’ to demonstrate the fact that no such thing was ever contemplated. See also section 179(2)(b) of the Constitution.
‘’We submit that the provisions of the constitution cannot be considered in isolation as suggested by the appellants, but as a whole, in line with a plethora of judicial authorities.
“We urge the court to hold that any election where the electorate exercise their plebiscite, there is neither a ‘royal’ ballot nor ‘royal’ voter; and that residents of the FCT do not have any special voting right over residents of any other state of the federation in a manner similar to the concept of preferential shareholding in company law. We, therefore, urge the court to resolve this issue in favour of the respondent and against the appellant.”
Tinubu accused Atiku of hiding the statement of his witnesses to catch him off-guard at the tribunal.
He said, “The rather concerning observations are that the appellants, as petitioners, knew they would be fielding more witnesses, so at the pre-hearing session, they indicated the intention of calling more than 100 witnesses; and the fact that these witnesses were available to the petitioners all through the preparation of the petition and could in fact have had their witnesses statements frontloaded together with the petition.
‘’In fact, PW21 and PW26 both admitted the fact that they were recruited by the petitioners for the purpose of the assignment, while PWs 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 were all invited in their personal capacities and served in person with the subpoenas (see pages 7345, 7347, 7354, 7358, 7362, 7367, 7372, 7419, 7424, 7427 (vol.10) of the record).
“The indisputable fact is that these witnesses were available to the petitioners as of the time of filing the petition In fact, PW19 confessed before the lower court that PW21 was a member of the 2nd petitioner’s situation room during the election and that the reports to be tendered by PW21 (Exhibits PAHI-PAH4) were compiled between 1st March and 26 March 2023, while the petition was filed on 21st March 2023 (See pages 7387 (vol.10) of the record).
“It was very obvious that the appellants, as petitioners before the lower court, deliberately chose to hoard the statements of these witnesses in order to cause a surprise on the respondents, thus turning an exercise as serious as litigation to a hide and seek bout.
“They then attempted to circumvent the mandatory provisions of section 285(5) of the Constitution and paragraph 4(5) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, by cloaking the witnesses in the garb of subpoenaed witnesses.”
Tinubu also submitted that the lower court rightly held when it said the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of non-compliance and corrupt practices as required by law.
The respondent faulted the allegations of voters’ suppression, adding that Atiku failed similarly to provide evidence.
‘’More so, it is only commonsensical that when allegations like suppression of votes and entering of wrong scores are made, the required evidence will be the actual scores that were suppressed and the end result of the suppression in the respective polling units. These were not made available before the lower court,’’ he insisted.
He, however, urged the court to affirm the decision of the lower court, while dismissing this appeal in its entirety, as the same is lacking in merit and bona.
He added that the run-off election being sought by Atiku had exposed his “pretentious attitude.”
“Here are the same set of appellants alleging non-qualification of the respondent via the backdoor, that is, through their reply, on the one hand, and the other hand, praying this honourable court to nullify the presidential election of 25th February 2023 and direct a second election between the 1st petitioner and the respondent,’’ the president noted.
He concluded that everything put together or summarised, Atiku’s appeal was a further demonstration of the abusive nature to which the appellants have subjected the court processes.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has invited 3,852 successful candidates for physical screening and documentation as it concludes its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
The screening exercise will take place at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The development was announced on Tuesday in a statement issued by the Deputy Comptroller of Customs and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi.
The Service directed all shortlisted candidates to appear on the dates assigned to their respective states and cadres, stressing that attendance is compulsory.
Candidates are required to come with the original and photocopies of their relevant documents, including their National Identification Number (NIN), original birth certificate or declaration of age, and educational certificates such as O’Level, ND, HND or degree certificates, where applicable.
They are also expected to present a certificate of state of origin, two recent passport photographs, a completed guarantor’s form and an NYSC certificate, where applicable.
The candidates were further instructed to wear a white T-shirt, shorts and canvas shoes for the physical screening.
The Customs Service warned that any candidate who fails to appear as scheduled could be disqualified from the recruitment process.
The latest development comes nearly two years after the recruitment exercise commenced in December 2024.
The prolonged recruitment process had generated concerns among applicants, prompting the Customs management to apologise for the delay when the final list was released in August.
According to Adeniyi, the recruitment exercise attracted 573,680 applications, making it one of the most competitive recruitment exercises in the history of the Service.
Only 3,852 candidates were eventually selected for appointment across three cadres, representing a success rate of 0.67 per cent, or approximately one successful candidate for every 148 applicants.
The Superintendent Cadre accounted for 1,275 successful candidates from 276,995 applications, while 367 candidates were selected for the Inspectorate Cadre from 128,604 applications.
The Customs Assistant Cadre had the highest number of successful candidates, with 2,210 selected from 168,081 applications.
The figures mean that competition was toughest in the Inspectorate Cadre, where approximately one candidate was selected for every 350 applicants. In the Superintendent Cadre, the ratio was about one successful candidate to 217 applicants, while the Customs Assistant Cadre had roughly one successful candidate for every 76 applicants.
Earlier in the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates were required to update their information on the recruitment portal, upload medical certificates of fitness issued by government-recognised hospitals and accept their provisional offers of appointment.
With the physical screening and documentation now underway, candidates who successfully complete the exercise are expected to receive further instructions on the next stages of the recruitment process.
The Customs Service also renewed its warning against fraudsters seeking to exploit applicants.
Adeniyi stressed that recruitment into the Service was entirely free and advised candidates not to pay anyone in exchange for employment.
“No candidate has paid, and no candidate should pay, any person or group for a place on this list,” he said, warning that anyone who solicits money on behalf of the Service should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
The Comptroller-General also announced plans to introduce an annual recruitment cycle for the Service, ending the previous practice of conducting recruitment irregularly.
According to him, future recruitment exercises will follow a predictable yearly schedule and are expected to be completed within one calendar year, from advertisement to the release of the final list.
The 2026 recruitment exercise is expected to commence later this year.
Hundreds of youths and women on Monday took to the streets in Burutu, headquarters of Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, protesting the poor condition of the government hospital and other deteriorating infrastructure in the area.
The protesters marched to the local government secretariat, where they accused the council chairman, Julius Takeme, of poor performance and neglect of basic amenities.
They alleged that the government hospital in Burutu had deteriorated to the point where it could no longer adequately serve residents, and called for the immediate deployment of qualified doctors, nurses and midwives to the facility.
“We are tired of dying in a hospital without drugs and doctors. The hospital building is also collapsing, yet the council chairman appears unconcerned,” one of the protesters said.
The demonstrators also demanded the construction and rehabilitation of roads and drainage systems across the local government area.
Other demands included improved electricity supply, as well as greater transparency and accountability in the management of council funds.
The youths expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the council administration and vowed to sustain the protest until their demands were addressed.
A protest leader said, “We will continue this protest until the LGA does the needful for our people. Burutu deserves better. We pay taxes and deserve basic services.”
The protesters also appealed to the Delta State Government to urgently intervene, particularly in the healthcare sector, to alleviate what they described as the suffering of residents.
However, as of the time of filing this report, there was no official reaction from the office of the council chairman.
As the 2027 Governorship election draws near, the heartbeat of Ndi Ebonyi are *sealing the deal for Anyichuks Odii*!
His records as a private citizen with no political appointment or contracts points to a candidate who lives determined life to change the People’s destiny. The records of a Nwifuru has shown that he’s not serious about governance, nor improving the lives of Ndi Ebonyi, hence the systematic shift to another candidate, and *ANYICHUKS ODII SEEMS TO BE THE BENEFICIARY*. The analysis points to a man who really cares, empathizes and will work to raise the hope and the realities the people expect.
His *Ebele & Anyichuks Foundation* has touched lives, built schools, provided houses for the underprivileged, provided scholarships for thousands, sponsor youths for sports training as well as various vocational trainings, and supported them with seed money, partnerd with farmers to expand their cultivation fields and supported them with millions to make their families more liveable.
*EBONYI WILL RISE WITH ANYICHUKS ODII*; no wonder the massive endorsements coming from all quarters; Igbo Groups and the Christian organizations because they have seen a man dedicated to their tomorrow.
Indeed the *Tomorrow of Ndi Ebonyi will rest in the arms of Anyichuks Odii*! Let’s not play it down.
Dr. Kenneth Okey Anozie
Political Strategist..
Oil prices surged on Monday as renewed US-Iran military tensions raised fears over global energy supplies, while investors increased bets on a possible US interest rate hike.
Brent crude rose 2.8 per cent to $90.53 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate gained 2.5 per cent to $85.51.
The latest spike followed a US strike on Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran reportedly retaliating against US military targets in Jordan.
The escalation has revived concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route through which about a fifth of the world’s crude and gas supplies normally pass.
Markets were also unsettled by hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh, who warned that stubborn inflation could require further action.
Warsh said inflation at 3.7 per cent remained “concerning” and that the Fed had “work to do” to bring it back to its two per cent target.
However, he stopped short of explicitly backing a September rate hike, saying he was “committed to a discipline, not to a decision.”
Investors are now awaiting US jobs and inflation data expected over the next two weeks for clues about the Fed’s next move.
Asian markets were mixed, with Shanghai gaining 0.9 per cent, while Tokyo and Hong Kong closed lower. European markets also traded unevenly, while London was closed for a public holiday.
In its quest to make real estate ownership affordable and accessible to people of different financial capacities, Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd. has kicked off its latest real estate initiative, Real Estate Ownership Made Easy, also known as ROME.
The event, which took place on Friday at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, had in attendance over 1,200 participants, including investors, realtors and other key players in the industry.
Speaking with newsmen on the reason behind the ROME Initiative, the Managing Director of Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd., Architect Chibuikem Onyekachi Emmanuel, said the company aims to make willing clients landowners across the country.
He stated that the ROME Initiative, which it has kick started, will end on September 30, 2026, as there are no plans on ground to extend it.
He posited that the initiative allows every potential client to own a plot of land at one of its newest estates in Enugu, called Glory Layout, which the company currently sells at ₦1,500,000, with a considerable payment plan that lasts up to a year.
He also stated that clients who are interested in making full payment will receive a discount of 10% from the original price, while those paying in instalments will receive a discount of 5%, which will span for one year.
He also stated that the discount has nothing to do with the usual percentages that the company pays its agents, realtors or staff who attract customers, adding that, so long as the payment falls within the duration of the initiative, all the incentives will be paid to those who deserve them.
According to him, “This is one of the best things that can happen to anyone who wants to own properties through us. We want people to start owning properties irrespective of their financial status. This ROME Initiative ensures that you get a 10% discount on any of the properties that you buy during this period once you are making full payment, and also a 5% discount for someone paying in instalments. The aim is simple: to produce numerous land and property owners. We want the ‘wow’ effect on the customers. We want to ensure that people can own properties without stress and get the value of their investment.”
In her address, popular Nollywood actress and the Brand Ambassador of the company, Mrs. Patience Ozokwo, popularly known as Mama G, said the company has kept on rejigging her love for what they do because of their sterling integrity.
She stated that the ROME Initiative is timely, owing to the idea behind it and the commitment of the company to ensuring that it is stress free for both clients and realtors.
Mama G also beckoned on all to utilise the opportunities presented by the initiative to acquire properties from the company, as it is time bound, while also affirming her unalloyed vow to the company’s integrity, saying that once the company starts misbehaving, she would be the first to move out.
“Powell Homes and Shelters has continued to give me reasons to believe in what the company stands for. The way it handles its clients, realtors and partners shows that it understands the importance of trust in this business. I believe this initiative will give many people the opportunity to own properties through a process that is simple, clear and convenient.”
In his remarks, the Manager of Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd., Surv. Steve Ibaro, said ROME will end on September 30, 2026, and all the properties owned by the company are included, depending on the package that a client or customer wants.
He stated that clients who want to start with the instalmental payment package have one year to complete the payment or inform the company of the reasons behind their pending breach of the agreement should anything like that arise.
He also commended their clients, stakeholders and realtors for always identifying with the company, an act he said would continue to improve the company’s growth and service delivery.
“ROME is an opportunity for people to own properties through flexible payment plans. The initiative covers the company’s properties, depending on the package selected by the client. We appreciate our clients, stakeholders and realtors for their continued support and identification with Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd. The company remains committed to making property ownership easier for people who genuinely desire to invest in real estate.”
Speaking on behalf of the Realtors and partners of Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd., the Managing Director of Chris Alex Homes and Properties Ltd., Mr. Eze Christian, said Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd. is a brand to reckon with for all who want to have genuine properties, irrespective of their financial ability, especially realtors who are still learning the business and looking for partners.
He stated that, having partnered with Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd. for over five years, the company has always displayed a high level of integrity in what they do, which has distinguished it from others.
He also appreciated the Managing Director of Powell Homes and Shelters Ltd., Architect Chibuikem Onyekachi Emmanuel, for always bringing out initiatives that empower staff, realtors, partners and other stakeholders, stressing that the company remains a force to reckon with in the real estate industry.
“Powell Homes and Shelters has built a name through its commitment to genuine property transactions and good relationships with its partners. The company has shown that real estate can be handled with transparency, responsibility and respect for clients. Its continuous support for realtors and partners has made it a dependable company and a strong brand in the real estate industry.”
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