The Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it does not have the server
where the PDP claim results of the presidential election were uploaded.
The electoral
commission is reacting to the request of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate
of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who had asked the tribunal to compel INEC
to allow them inspect smart card readers and the server.
The opposition
party and its candidate are challenging the declaration of President Buhari as
winner of the presidential election that held in February. At the tribunal on
Thursday, Yunus Usman, counsel to INEC, said the party was asking something
they did not have.
“They are asking us
to bring something we do not have,” the lawyer said. Usman asked the tribunal
to strike out the application. Also, counsels of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) and Buhari asked the tribunal to strike out the application of the PDP.
They argued that
they could not prove the existence of a server. The electoral commission
said Buhari polled 15,191,847 votes to defeat the former vice-president who
secured 11, 262,978. But Atiku in his application claimed that he polled
18,356,732 votes while Buhari secured 16,741,430, citing INEC’s server.
Buhari vs Atiku: Human Rights Watch releases damning report on
Nigeria’s election, makes revelations
The Nigerian
elections in 2019 that brought President Muhammadu Buhari back into office for
a second term were marred by political violence, some of it by soldiers and
police officers, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.
Buhari defeated
Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the keenly-contested
poll.
HRW called on
Buhari to take concrete steps to address the widespread political violence and
ensure accountability for human rights abuses by soldiers and police as he
begins his second term.
The report on the
election released on the HRW website on Monday noted that the election period
included persistent attacks by factions of Boko Haram terrorist group in the
northeast; increased communal violence between nomadic herdsmen and farmers
spreading southward from north-central states; and a dramatic uptick in
banditry, kidnapping, and killings in the northwestern states of Kaduna,
Katsina, and Zamfara. It maintained that security forces have failed to respond
effectively to threats to people’s lives and security.
Human Rights Watch
said it interviewed 32 people; including voters, journalists, election
observers, activists, and Independent National Electoral Commission officials
in Rivers and Kano states, and documented 11 deaths specifically related to
violent interference in the election process during the February 23
presidential election and subsequent state elections.
It added: “The
national and state elections in February, March, and April 2019 contributed to
the general insecurity across the country. The politically related violence
reported in many states was in contrast to the relatively peaceful 2015
elections that brought Buhari into his first term in office. According to a
report by SBM Intelligence, which monitors sociopolitical and economic
developments in Nigeria, 626 people were killed during the 2019 election cycle,
starting with campaigns in 2018.
“Kano state, in
northwestern Nigeria, has the highest number of registered voters in the
country. Rivers state, in the Niger Delta, receives the largest share of
crude-oil-based national revenue, representing significant electoral value to
any political party. The history of elections in both states is replete with
violence by state security agencies and criminal elements.
“Human Rights Watch
focused its research on both states in view of projections and reports of
violence during the 2019 elections. Despite police claims of increased security
measures to ensure peaceful voting, there seems to have been little or no
police response to reports of threats and acts of violence by hired political
thugs and soldiers against voters and election officials, Human Rights Watch
found.
“Voters and
election officials said that policemen either fled or stood idly by, fueling
allegations of complicity, as perpetrators stole election materials, disrupted
voting, and harassed voters. Witnesses said that the police also shot live
rounds of ammunition and used teargas to disperse people protesting voting
disruptions.
“Witnesses said
that after a soldier was killed in the town of Abonnema, in Rivers state, on
election day, soldiers shot at residents, killing an unknown number of people.
They also carried out sweeping arrests and arbitrarily detained several
people.”
“The soldiers were
on a rampage, shooting at anyone around,” said a 37-year-old man who witnessed
the episode. “As I made my way to flee, I saw people dive into the river, many
with gunshot wounds. The next day I saw three dead bodies riddled with bullets
floating in the water… I heard many more bodies were later recovered from that
river.”
HRW noted that
“Banditry and the recurring cycles of deadly violence between herdsmen and
farmers appear to have taken the lives of thousands. According to civil society
reports, over 3,641 people have died from deadly clashes between herdsmen and
farmers since 2015 and at least 262 people have been killed by bandits since
the beginning of 2019 in Zamfara State alone. The government deployed 1,000
military troops to the state in response, but few of those responsible for the
violence have been arrested or held to account.
“The northeast
conflict with Boko Haram and its splinter groups also remains one of Buhari’s
pressing challenges. Although Boko Haram’s territorial control has shrunk to
small pockets of villages around Lake Chad as a result of sustained government
military action since 2015, the group continues to carry out attacks against
civilian and military targets in the region and in neighboring Niger, Cameroon,
and Chad.
“In recent months,
renewed fighting between Nigerian government forces and a faction of Boko
Haram, known as Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), has led to
secondary displacement of civilians.
“Security forces
have been implicated in serious abuses, including arbitrary arrests, prolonged
detention without trial, torture, extrajudicial killings, rape and sexual
violence against women and girls in camps for displaced people. According to
the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
more than 27,000 civilians have died and about 1.8 million people have been
displaced since the beginning of the conflict in 2009.
“Authorities have
also failed to address impunity for killings by security forces elsewhere in
the country. The authorities have yet to publish the report of the Presidential
Judicial Panel set up in August 2017 to investigate the military’s compliance
with human rights obligations, allegations of war crimes, and other abuses by
the military.
“Nigerian voters
have entrusted Buhari with another opportunity to address the nation’s serious
human rights problems, including political violence,” Ewang said. “He should
start by reforming the security forces to ensure strict compliance with human
rights standards, and prompt investigation and prosecution of those credibly
implicated in abuses.”
On the 2019
election violence, HRW said: “Nigeria’s elections have historically been
fraught with controversy, violence, and other abuses, with the 2015 elections,
widely believed to have been largely free of violence, bucking this trend.
There were reports of voter intimidation and violence around the 2019 elections
at both the federal and state levels, including by armed men hired by candidates
and political parties and by security forces, including the national police.
“Bauchi, Benue,
Kano, Sokoto, Plateau, and Rivers states were particularly affected by violence
during the March 9 gubernatorial elections. The Independent National Electoral
Commission canceled elections in places where the elections were disrupted and
held supplementary elections later. Kano state had supplementary elections on
March 23, and Rivers state on April 13.
“Kano and Rivers
states were probably the worst hit of the six states. They were identified by
both local and international analysts ahead of the elections as holding great
potential for electoral violence. Both are major political strongholds for the
two leading political parties, Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Abdullahi Ganduje of the
APC won the 2019 election in Kano, and Nyesom Wike of the PDP won in Rivers
state.”
Peter Obi, Nuhu Ribadu, others in presidential election tribunal as
hearing begins
The running mate to
the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi is
currently present at the hearing session of the petition filed before
presidential election tribunal against the declaration of President Muhammadu
Buhari as the winner of the 2019 presidential election.
It would be
recalled that Obi ran a joint ticket with the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku
Abubakar in the 2019 presidential election.
Also present in the
court is a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, and a commissioner at the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC)
Wole Olanipekun
while moving an objection on the preliminary application filed by President
Buhari on his qualification said the application have been filed and served to
all parties involved in the matter.
But drama ensued
after a counsel who identified himself as Poland standing in for the Hope
Democratic Party announced his appearance over which attracted a vehement
objection to his claim.
However, President
of the Tribunal, Mohammed Lawal Garba further urged all parties involved to
privately sort out the issues of representation.
Garba also
announced that all preliminary applications pending before the court would be
heard on June 13.
Meanwhile, the
tribunal has just gone into the preliminary part of the substantive matter.
Lauretta Onochie reacts to #500m case against her, says Atiku is depressed, needs pills
Lauretta Onochie,
the social media aide to President Buhari, has replied former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar on his defamatory claim and demand of N500M.
Onochie dismissed
the letter from Atiku's lawyer, Mike Ozekhome(SAN), describing it as
a deliberate ploy to make her lose focus as the legal battle to unseat
President Buhari gets intense.
Atiku's lawyer,
Mike Ozekhome (SAN), had in a letter to Onochie on Sunday, demanded five
hundred million Naira, (N500m) and a written apology in six national and one
international daily, as well as on all social media platforms wherein the said
publication was made.
However, Onochie
has fired back in a statement on Facebook calling Atiku 'a depressed soul
in desperate need of his pill but whose aides would not tell him the truth for
the sake of their stomachs'.
In her words:“EVIL
SHALL NO LONGER HAVE A VOICE NOR SAY, ANYWHERE IN NIGERIA. Good morning Family
and Friends. Lauretta Onochie This is in no way responding to the depressed
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar whose aides are constantly cooking up disgrace for him,
for the sake of their stomachs, instead of giving him his pills.
This is to reassure
my PERSONAL PEOPLE who are concerned and have emailed, texted or called to know
if I’m fine that truly, I had the most hilarious day yesterday and that I am
very fine. I continue to laugh at the clowns who do not know what they are walking
into.
We are entering
into the most crucial time at the Election Tribunal where the mandate freely
given to our beloved President by Nigerians, is being challenged and I’m their
nightmare. In their thinking, “Let’s distract Lauretta Onochie. We can’t afford
to have her focused on her job”. Buhahahahahaha! I can’t be distracted. Truly I
can’t for very simple reasons. I have a great family that thinks the world of
me.
My friends are
fiercely loyal and committed because they know me. 34 million Buharists across
world are on standby. Always. I have the witness of a clear conscience. I love
Nigeria and her wellbeing is my focus. Its all good people. At the end of it
all, EVIL SHALL NO LONGER HAVE A VOICE NOR SAY, ANYWHERE IN NIGERIA. Thank you
my people and May God Bless You All.”
‘Comparing Atiku to
Abiola, Ekwueme is totally off the mark’ – BMO tells ex-VP’s camp
The Buhari Media
Organisation (BMO) has said it is evil for anyone to place the presidential
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, in the same
democratic league with the late Moshood Abiola or ex-Vice President, Alex
Ekwueme.
The group said this
in a statement signed and issued by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary
Casiddy Madueke in Abuja on Sunday.
It said the
comparison that Atiku media handlers are trying to sell to Nigerians was
totally off the mark because facts on the ground do not support the position
they made in response to Federal Government’s allusion to Atiku as a threat to
the nation’s democracy.
BMO said this was
just another attempt to rewrite history in order to paint Atiku in good light.
The statement reads,
“It is laughable that Atiku media handlers could attempt to configure a
not-too-recent history by passing off Atiku Abubakar, not only as a Democrat
but to also compare him with more distinguished Nigerians like Moshood Abiola
and Alex Ekwueme both of blessed memory.
“We know they have
a job to do and we don’t envy them at all. Anyone that is saddled with the task
of painting a good picture of a serially tainted politician would throw words
around and hope that no one would notice the fallacies.
“Atiku’s political
antecedents cannot be associated with that of a Democrat. Here is a man that is
willing to move and has actually moved three times between two different ruling
parties and the opposition after failing to have his way.
“None of the people
his media men have name-checked in their recent statement has had to change
parties to satisfy a selfish desire. Both men were known to have suffered
perceived injustices in their political journey, but like true democrats, they
stayed back to help build their respective political parties.
“Atiku is a
dangerously desperate politician that is known to have threatened violence at a
forum in Abuja, shortly after he lost the PDP Presidential ticket in a bitter
contest to the then President Goodluck Jonathan before the 2011 election.
“Before then, there
was an unprecedented intra-party acrimony that was so characterised by
mudslinging that the then opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had to
issue a statement calling for peace in the ranks of the ruling PDP.
“These facts are
very much in the public domain, so it is preposterous that the Atiku camp is
seeking to feed Nigerians with a red herring,” the group said.
BMO also wondered
why the former Vice president Atiku Abubakar and his media handlers would seek
to rubbish history with false narratives on the actual role he played in the
dying days of military rule.
“His media aides
want Nigerians to believe that he joined forces with MKO Abiola and Ekwueme to
fight the then Abacha dictatorship, but nothing could be farther from the
truth.
“Nigerians would
recall that Atiku Abubakar was a ranking member of the Social Democratic Party
(SDP) on whose platform Abiola ran for the Presidency on June 12 1993, but
since he lost out in his bid to be the running mate to Abiola, he clearly went
off the political radar and was not even known to play a major role in the
electioneering campaigns.
“There was also no
record of his participation in efforts spearheaded by activists to force the
military government to respect the wish of the people, neither was he one of
those who publicly took on Abacha when he usurped power.
“And even when
Ekwueme took up the gauntlet to lead the political opposition against the late
General Abacha, Atiku was never part of the politicians in the forefront of an
initiative that began as G9 but later metamorphosed into G18 and G34
respectively.
“The best he did
was his less than inspiring membership of the 1994 Constitutional Conference
which had Ekwueme as the leading light, but which was largely boycotted by
members of his own party who were insisting on the June 12 mandate.”
The group
maintained that the only time Atiku and Ekwueme could be mentioned in the same
sentence is when a list of the country’s former Vice Presidents is drawn.
“Yes both of them
were Vice Presidents at different times but Nigerians know that while one is
the epitome of loyalty and had been acknowledged by his principal, the other
had on several occasions been described in uncomplimentary terms by his own.”
Insecurity: Atiku urges
Buhari govt to end killings in Nigeria
The Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, 2019 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted
to the killing of 20 people in Katsina State by unknown gunmen.
About 20 people at
three villages in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State were killed by
the unknown gunmen on Tuesday.
Reacting to the
incident, Abubakar called on the Federal Government to review the security
architecture across the country.
In a tweet, the
Wazirin Adamawa wrote: “No one is exempted and no place appears immune to the
scourge of insecurity.
“Our communities
and people deserve to be safe and secured. It is about time our security
architecture is reviewed. Security is absolutely necessary to progress and
development. -AA.”
Fani-Kayode reacts to
alleged plot by Atiku to ‘overthrow’ Buhari govt
Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation
has reacted to the recent claims by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
administration and the military that certain persons were planning to overthrow
the government.
Minister of Information, Lai Mohamed, had
said that Atiku
and his party, were doing everything to overheat the polity.
Mohammed further described their alleged
actions as an act of treason.
However, in response to the claims, Atiku
Abubakar in a statement by his media aide, Mazi Paul Ibe, described
the allegations as all lies.
Fani-Kayode reacting to the claims on his
Twitter page said only soldiers can overthrow the government, not politicians.
The former minister wrote: “Atiku and PDP is
plotting to overthrow the Government in a military coup”- Lai Mohammed,
Minister of Information.
“The Bible says, “the wicked run even when
no-one is pursuing them.
“As far as I am aware, politicians don’t plan
and execute coups: soldiers do.”
Between Atiku and Buhari: Appeal
Court president, Bulkachuwa asked to step down
A group, Access to Justice, on Sunday asked
President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, to step down
from the Election Tribunal hearing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Atiku
Abubakar’s petition against the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was contained in a statement by its
Convener, Joseph Otteh.
The justice advocacy group said this had
become necessary as Bulkachuwa
is married to a Senator-elect on the platform of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), Mohammed Bulkachuwa.
Otteh’s statement read: “Of late, there have
been strong speculations that the Buhari government is heavily invested in
efforts to achieve the best possible outcomes from electoral courts in any
election litigation involving the ruling party through any means possible.
“Many believe this is the reason the
government worked hand in glove with the Code of Conduct Tribunal and removed
Justice Walter Onnoghen from office as Chief Justice of Nigeria applying
bizarre legal procedures. The dust has not settled from that incident.
“The Court of Appeal President, Hon. Justice
Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa is married to a Senator of the ruling APC and she has
not publicly denied this claim. We note that the Court of Appeal President is
not however sitting on an election petition involving her spouse personally but
that involving her spouse’s political party and platform.
“In ordinary circumstances, there would be no
question of whether the President of the Court of Appeal can, or should
participate in tribunals adjudicating election petitions involving her spouse’s
party. But these are no ordinary or normal times.
“The Nigerian judiciary is facing very
heightened levels of public scrutiny, and the performance of some judicial
bodies have raised red flags concerning judicial independence and integrity.
There are now far more than normal anxieties about the Judiciary’s strength of
character.
“Many keen observers of the Judiciary are
already worried that the Judiciary has been overawed by the government given,
particularly, the example of the bizarre way the removed Chief Justice Walter
Onnoghen was “guillotined” by a supposedly “judicial” body.
“Maybe at some time in the future, it will
not be a problem for a Justice of the Court of Appeal to adjudicate cases where
his or her significant other has some immediate or remote interest, but, at
this time, there will be conflicting perceptions, even of reasonable people,
given the prevailing context, of whether justice will impartially be done in
such a case.”
Atiku Speaks On The Murder Of Rev. Fathers, Parishioners In Benue
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has reacted to
the killing of two Reverend Fathers and 19 others in Gwer East Local Government
Area of Benue State by suspected herdsmen.
The Rev
Fathers, Gor Joseph and Felix were on Tuesday killed after suspected
herdsmen attacked the village.
Reacting, Atiku on his Twitter page offered his
condolences to Catholic dioceses in Benue, describing the killings as heartbreaking.
He wrote “It was heart-rending to hear about the
invasion and killing of worshippers in Benue State today. My condolences to
Catholic dioceses of Benue State. May the deceased rest.”
Buhari
had on Tuesday described the killings of the Catholic priests as a plot to
stoke up religious conflict and plunge communities in the country into endless
bloodletting.
Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, on Monday reacted to Sunday’s
attack near Belle village in Maiduguri, Borno state that left several people
dead.
The Waziri of Adamawa condoled and prayed for families of those who lost
their loved ones in the attack.
In a tweet, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain described the
attack as “mind-numbing”.
He said, “My prayers and thoughts are with the families and friends of all
those who may have lost a dear one in yet another attack on Maiduguri that has
left several dead and scores injured.
“It is mind-numbing. May God comfort all the bereaved families.”
Recall that an explosion
in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Sunday left no fewer than 15
people including a soldier killed and about 83 others seriously injured.
The blast occurred while some suicide bombers were attempting to invade
Maiduguri but were repelled by soldiers.
Atiku Condemns Kaduna Killings, Tells Buhari To Take Actions
Former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the crisis in Kaduna State.
Atiku, writing on his Twitter page, called for the arrest and prosecution of “criminal elements” causing trouble in communities.
“The crisis in Kaduna is condemnable. But prompt arrest and diligent
prosecution of criminal elements fomenting trouble in our communities
will give confidence to Nigerians and discourage those who may want to
thread the path of criminality,” he tweeted.
The Kaduna State Police Command on Monday, said it had arrested 10
suspects over Kasuwan Magani mayhem in Kajuru Local Government Area in
Kaduna State.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Muhktar Aliyu, disclosed that seven people were killed and 15 injured during the crisis.
Aliyu added that normalcy had returned in the area.
According to him, the command received a distress call in the morning hours of February 26 that there was tension in the area.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has reacted to
the killing of two Reverend Fathers and 19 others in Gwer East Local Government
Area of Benue State by suspected herdsmen.
Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, on Monday reacted to Sunday’s
attack near Belle village in Maiduguri, Borno state that left several people
dead.