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Elated Tinubu: ‘My Faith in Judiciary Unshaken’, PMB, others Hail Judgement

Published

9 months ago

October 26, 2023

Nigerians across political divide received the news of the affirmation of the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with joy, and expressed hope that he can now sit down and be well-focused in solving the myriads’ of the problems limiting the country from reaching her full potentials.

The man in the centre of the storm himself, roared from the precincts of Aso Rock Villa of the Presidency, appreciating God. He said “with deep gratitude to God Almighty, I solemnly and humbly accept today’s judicial victory with an intense sense of responsibility and a burning desire to meet the great challenges confronting our people”.
He added, jubilantly that “I want to reiterate that my faith in our nation’s judiciary has never been shaken, not even for a moment, because I know that our hallowed courts of law will not fail to administer justice to all Nigerians in all matters and at all times. Despite the fusillade of pressure and attempts at intimidation by some political actors, the judiciary demonstrated its unequivocal commitment to upholding the rule of law for the upliftment and defence of humanity”.

The victory dances and thumping’s in the streets were echoed by an elder stateman and the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari exemplified the mood of many when he said the decision to dismiss the appeals by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), by the Supreme Court, is a welcome relief to him and to a majority of the citizens of Nigeria.

The former President repeated what he had earlier said on the earlier after the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) verdict on 6 September, which affirmed President Tinubu’s victory, that the decision is “a reaffirmation of the will of the majority of the people against the determined will of a hard-fighting minority.”

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, the statesman said “now that we have arrived at the last bus-stop, after a tortuous eight months of expensive legal journey, the nation deserves a break. The opposition has fought a good fight. Having now exhausted their rights as constitutionally allowed, they should take the hand of fellowship extended by the Tinubu/Shettima government. Let them allow the Government to run their administration and the people to enjoy the full benefits of the promises the APC made.”
The elated president in his response said “I welcome the verdict of the Justice John I. Okoro-led Panel of the Supreme Court on the Presidential Election petitions filed by the candidates of PDP and LP, challenging the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal”.

According to President Tinubu, “the court has done justice to all issues put up for consideration in the petitions on the merits of the law, without fear or favour”.
“There is no doubt, with the profound judgment of today, that our electoral jurisprudence and constitutional democracy are further consolidated and embedded more indelibly in our national identity because of the diligence and undaunted professionalism of the Honourable Justices who presided over the matter”, he said.

President Tinubu said in a statement personally signed by him that “while the verdict of today has laid to rest the agitating discourse over who truly won the 2023 Presidential election and met the constitutional requirements as laid out by law, I want to reiterate that my faith in our nation’s judiciary has never been shaken, not even for a moment, because I know that our hallowed courts of law will not fail to administer justice to all Nigerians in all matters and at all times. Despite the fusillade of pressure and attempts at intimidation by some political actors, the judiciary demonstrated its unequivocal commitment to upholding the rule of law for the upliftment and defence of humanity”.

He continued: “It was affirmed once more today, that my party, the governing All Progressives’ Congress, had freely and fairly won the popular mandate of Nigerians, which has since given rise to my leadership of this great nation at a tumultuous period of unprecedented reforms in our history as a nation”.
The President added that the victory of today has further energised and strengthened to his commitment to continue to serve all Nigerians of all political persuasions, tribes, and faiths, with honour and total respect for the diverse opinions and uniting values of our citizens.
“Our Renewed Hope agenda for a greater and prosperous Nigeria has further gained momentum and I will continue to work from morning to night, every single day, to build a country that meets our collective yearnings and aspirations”, he said.

He counselled that “we are all members of one household, and this moment demands that we continue to work and build our country together. The strength of our diversity and the great citizenship that binds us must now compel us forward in directing the energy of our people towards building a virile, stronger, united, and more prosperous country.
He believed that Nigerians in “the days and months ahead, I trust that the spirit of patriotism will be elevated into supporting our administration to improve the living conditions of Nigerians. I am prepared to welcome the contributions of all Nigerians to foster and strengthen our collective progress”.
He appreciatingly I send my immense gratitude to all Nigerians for the mandate to serve our country. I promise again to meet and exceed your expectations in service delivery and good governance, working with my team and trusting in the grace of God.

www.focusmagazineonline.com reported that the Apex Court in Nigeria, the Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as duly and validly elected president of Nigeria. The seven-man panel of the Justices of the Court threw out the appeals of both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who had challenged Tinubu’s victory in last February’s election.
Atiku and Obi, who came second and third, respectively, had sought to reverse the presidential election.
The Election Petition Court had in September upheld Tinubu’s victory, but Atiku and Obi, the presidential candidates of the PDP and Labour Party, respectively, insisted the Supreme Court should quash the judgement.
A former Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce congratulated President Bola Tinubu and the people of Nigeria, who he believed “now have clarity for the future”.
“Perhaps we can now focus on the task of building our nation and growing our economy to enable it to deliver a decent living and opportunities for positive human development for all Nigerians, especially the masses”, he added.
Ben Bruce was of the opinion “that the Supreme Court has now ruled on the appeal brought by my party and its Presidential candidate. I do not comment on the rightness or wrongness of the judgment, except to say that as a law-abiding and patriotic citizen of Nigeria, it is accepted that the Supreme Court is final”.

He added that therefore, the judgment should be accepted by all Nigerians as settling all the issues of contention and the matter of who won the Presidential election held on February 25, 2023. Therefore, I call on the Peoples Democratic Party and its Presidential candidate, Waziri Atiku Abubakar, to accept the judgment and let this controversy end.
He urged his party, PDP, to “let learn from the disunity that cost us this election. If a united opposition could not defeat the ruling APC in 2019, we showed an extreme lack of judgment to have allowed division within our ranks in 2022-2023. Hopefully, we can make better decisions for the future”.

The media adviser to Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar, Chief Dele Momodu said “the beauty of going to court by aggrieved parties is not always about winning but by deepening our Democratic ideals and enriching our Legal System. What is left now is the academic exercise. The appellants have exercised their fundamental human rights and must be congratulated”.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo believed that “by the judgment of the Supreme Court today, the laymen prowling all over the social media can now clearly see that there is a wide chasm between emotions and law. These were Election Petitions pursued with unnecessary venom and hatred by most of those involved. Today, they have learnt a bitter lesson that such venom, hatred and sentiment have no place in judicial proceedings and deliberations. Their journey has come to a grinding end”.

He added further that “we had consistently made the same points to the opposition, but they kept giving their supporters false hopes and goading them in the wrong direction. Unfortunately for them, all the vituperations poured out against the judiciary actually cut no ice with it. Our Justices are always firm, courageous and cerebral. Kudos to them”.
He pleaded that “what is now left is nation-building. The other Presidential candidates must now call President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and congratulate him as true patriots. We as patriotic citizens must also now close ranks to help steer our country in the right direction. I wish all of us well”.

© www.focusmagazineonline.com 26 October 2023.

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Real Reasons Makinde Refuses To Announce New Alaafin

Published

9 months ago

November 9, 2023

Afolayan Adebiyi

Some fresh facts have started emerging why Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State rejected the candidate selected by the body of Oyomesi,(Kingmakers) in Oyo Town, to succeed the departed Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Atanda Adeyemi 11.

The late monarch died on April 22, 2022 and since then, over nineteen months, a successor is yet to be announced.
No less than sixty-five princess from the Agunloye Ruling House, including an octogenarian priest, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, did put in an application to succeed the late flamboyant monarch. But after a laborious exercise, that lasted about four months, the Oyomesi claimed that they have submitted a name to the Executive Governor since 30 September, 2022.
The Governor on his part neither confirmed nor denied being in possession of a recommended name from the Oyomesi. But he just kept mute and refused to announced a name.

The body of Oyomesi however, speculatively approached the State High Court, sitting in oyo town, when they suspected that the Governor might announced a different candidate from their preferred choice. The case is still pending before the State Chief Judge who is yet to assign it to a trial Judge.
But in a new twists, www.focusmagazineonline.com gathered in the ancient town of Oyo that the Governor ‘might be protecting the ancient stool from despoliation by his tardiness in announcing a substantive Alaafin’.

Since 1823, Sokoto Caliphate has had a near obsession to annex Oyo into its estate, using the proxy emirate at Ilorin.
A source revealed to www.focusmagazineonline.com that there are a lot of external influences circling around the Oyomesi trying to influence the selection process.
It was further revealed that a prince with very deep affiliation to the Caliphate through Ilorin, and had gotten the support of the Sultan of Sokoto had successfully infiltrated the Oyomesi to influence the successor of Adeyemi III.

The prince was said to have the confidence of the Chief Imam of Oyo Town and that of the Muslims’ Rights Council (MURIC), in his bid to ascend the throne.
‘These people put immense pressure on the Bashorun to compromise the selection process, so that he can recommend the selection of a prince with Fulani blood’.
‘This prince’, www.focusmagazineonline.com further gathered, ‘has more loyalty to Usman Dan Fodio philosophy and heritage than the Yoruba heritage’.

Governor Makinde was said to have seen through the shenanigans and decided to outrightly cancelled the selection process and ordered a fresh one, which the Oyomesi strongly objected to.
The source revealed that ‘Governor Seyi Makinde rejected the process at the risk of his second term in office and insisted on a new selection process with total autonomy of the Oyomesi from Sokoto/Ilorin Fulani caliphate’s influence’.

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EFCC Arraigns 11 OAU Undergraduates for Alleged Internet Fraud

Published

9 months ago

November 8, 2023

FocusMag

Eleven of the sixty-nine students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, arrested by the operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday (31 October) over alleged fraudulent internet activities have been charged to court.

The remaining fifty-eight arrested students have since been released.
The students were arraigned before Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, Osogbo for their alleged involvement in internet fraud.
www.focusmagazineonline.com recalled that about 69 students of the institution were arrested over alleged fraudulent internet activities at the end of the operation. The operation reportedly lasted between about 1.40 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Wednesday. The suspects were ferried to the EFCC zonal office in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital for interrogations.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, on Tuesday (07 November).
Oyewale said the defendants were arraigned on different count charges, ranging from one to six charges, as preferred against them by the EFCC.
The defendants are: Perekebena Olombeni Micah, Nnekwelugo Nnaemeka, Moyosore Favour Oluwasakin, Aghwaritoma Wisdom Obaro, Daniel Olashile Maiye, Gbolahan Khalid Adesina, Yinka Temitope Jayeola, Olumuyiwa Emmanuel Adeleye, Abiola Emmanuel Oluwadare, Busari Abdulazeez Ayodeji and Okesipe Tobiloba Paul.

Nine of the defendants were arraigned on one-count charge each, while the remaining two: Micah and Obaro, had six-count charges filed against each of them.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Perekebena Olombeni Micah sometimes in 2023 in Osogbo, Osun State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fraudulently impersonated the name – Pies through your Whatsapp account phone number +1(414)367-9473 by claiming that you are an American Female in love with your victims in the United States of America with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act, 2015.”

Another count reads: “That you, Aghwaritoma Wisdom Obaro on or about 1st November, 2023 at Ile-Ife, Osun State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated by representing yourself to be a white man by name Alex Stephens from United States of America to one Megan Johnson, through your Google Chat and your email address (alexsteps678@gmail.com) with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act, 2015.”

Upon their arraignments, they all pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them.
Consequently, prosecution counsel, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, prayed the court for trial dates and the remand of the defendants in a Correctional Centre.
In response, defence counsels to Ayodeji, Adesina, Oluwasakin, Micah, Adeleye and Okesipe informed the court of “motions for bail applications” filed on behalf of their clients, which have been served on the prosecution, therefore urging the court to admit the six defendants to bail in the most liberal terms.

Justice Ayo-Emmanuel, having listened to the prayers of both parties, admitted Ayodeji, Adesina, Oluwasakin, Micah, Adeleye and Okesipe to bail.
Ayodeji, Adesina, Oluwasakin, Adeleye and Okesipe were admitted to bail in the sum of N2 million each, while Micah was granted bail in the sum of N3 million.
Other bail conditions are: two sureties in like sum, first surety must be the defendant’s father or mother; the second surety must be a relative, sibling, clergy or civil servant with the Osun State Government; the sureties must depose to an affidavit of means and both residential and office addresses of the sureties, as well as their statuses, must be provided and verified by the court registrar.

The judge adjourned the matters to November 29 and December 12, 2023 respectively for commencement of trial and remanded the defendants at the Ilesha Correctional Centre, Osun State pending the perfection of their bail conditions.

The defendants were among the 69 suspected internet fraudsters arrested on November 1, 2023 at Oduduwa Estate area of Ile-Ife in Osun State following actionable intelligence on their alleged involvement in fraudulent internet-related activities.

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Nigerians Says No as Labour Declare Strike

Published

9 months ago

November 8, 2023

FocusMag

Organised Labour, consisting of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress, (TUC), have been advised to shelve their proposed nationwide strike slated to take off on November 14.

Many Nigerians spoken to were particularly displeased that the workers could be contemplating such an economic debilitating move at this point in time, when the nation is grasping for breath economically.

www.focusmagazineonline.com recalled that the leadership of the two unions on Tuesday (07 November) declared a total nationwide strike effective November 14, 2023.
The leadership of the two unions reached the resolution after an extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
The leadership of the NLC and the TUC had summoned what the unions described as an extraordinary NEC meeting.

The aim of the meeting was to review the modalities of the planned strike following the brutalisation of the National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, review of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Federal Government and the organised labour on October 2, 2023, following the removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit which the labour centres said has caused “untold hardship” to Nigerians.

The labour unions had, on Friday, issued a five-day ultimatum over the earlier arrest of the National President of the NLC, by the police in Owerri, Imo State, on Wednesday.
The labour centres demanded the redeployment of the commissioner of police in the state and the arrest and prosecution of the aide of the government who was alleged to have perpetrated the attack.

The unions also threatened to embark on a nationwide industrial action if their demands were not met in five days from Friday.
But a Labour Lawyer, Mr. Richard Akinola counselled the unions to perish the plan, at least for now.
He wrote, ‘dear NLC, l was one person that came out unapologetically to condemn the brutalization of your president, Joe Ajaero in Imo state and l still stand by that condemnation.
‘However, by declaring a national strike over that assault is stretching your luck too far. You have trivialized strike as a tool that nobody takes you serious again. You have demystified yourself and the potency of strike. So, you mean workers in Maiduguri would go on strike because of what happened in imo?

He added that ‘you people mean employers who have no trade dispute with their workers would shut down in this struggling economy and you expect them to pay the workers? When you abuse the power of strike, it loses its potency. You guys must be joking’, he warned the workers.

An Ikeja based businessman, Engr. Charles Nwaneke was more furious. He lamented the huge wage bills he had to contends with every month, and now the workers are planning to disrupt what was left of his staggering business.

He urged the workers to always towed a path of peace and development.
www.focusmagazineonline.com recalled that NLC President, Ajaero was arrested by the police ahead of the state-wide protest in Imo on Wednesday. This was disclosed by the NLC’s Head of Information, Benson Upah.

Although the police denied arresting Ajaero, stating that he was merely taken into protective custody to prevent a mob attack, the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, accused the labour leader of meddling in the political affairs of the state.

The attack on the labour leader has been condemned by many prominent Nigerians and civil society organisations, including the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).