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Supreme Court Ruling: Obi Vows to Continue  Fight for  Better Nigeria

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By Jude Opara and David Torough, Abuja

In his first official reaction to the ruling of the Supreme Court on his appeal against the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 Presidential election, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the said election, Mr.

Peter Obi has declared that he will remain in politics so as to broaden his message of a possible new Nigeria.

Obi who addressed a World Press Conference on Monday at the Labour Party campaign office in Abuja, said he will not be deterred by the ruling of the apex court which he said abandoned its responsibilities as a court of law and policy.

This was even as the presidency responded swiftly to his reaction telling the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party to stop casting aspersions on the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not declaring him the winner of the February 25, 2023 election.

Obi, in a prepared text titled: From Courtrooms to National Conscience: Our Democracy is the Victim, the LP flag bearer said after a deep reflection of the ruling, he came to the conclusion that the Supreme Court ruling contradicted the overwhelming evidence of election rigging and deliberate failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to follow its own guidelines in the conduct of the election.

“As someone who has previously benefited from the rulings of the Supreme Court on electoral matters, I have, after a period of deep and sober reflection, decided to personally and formally react to the recent judgment as most Nigerians have. Because we are confronted with   very   weighty   issues   of   national   interest, I will speak forthrightly. As students   young   lads   at   CKC, Onitsha, we were taught values and admonished to always; “choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong.”

“Setting legal issues aside, the Supreme Court exhibited a disturbing aversion to public opinion just as it abandoned its responsibility as a court of law and policy. It is, therefore, with great dismay that I observe that the Court’s decision contradicts the overwhelming evidence of election rigging, false claim of a technical   glitch, substantial   non-compliance with rules set by INEC itself as well as matters of perjury, identity theft, and forgery that have been brought to light in the course of this election matter. These were hefty allegations that should not be treated with   levity. 

“More   appalling, the   Supreme Court judgment willfully condoned breaches of the Constitution relative to established qualifications and parameters for candidates in presidential elections. With this   counter-intuitive   judgment, the Supreme Court has transferred a heavy moral burden from the   courtrooms to our national conscience. Our young democracy is ultimately the main victim and casualty of the courtroom drama”.

The former governor of Anambra state also described the ruling of the Supreme Court as an unreasonable display of negative force. He further cited the position of the recently retired judge of the Supreme Court, Musa Dattijo who equally called for a total overhaul of the entire judiciary.

“Without equivocation, this judgment amounts to a total breach of the confidence the Nigerian people have in our judiciary. To that extent, it is a show of unreasonable force against the very Nigerian people from whom the power of the Constitution derives. This Supreme Court ruling may represent the state of the law in 2023 but not the present demand for substantive   justice.  The   judgment   mixed   principles   and   precepts. Indeed, the rationale and premise of the Supreme Court judgment have become clearer in the light of the deep revealing and troubling valedictory   remarks by Hon. Justice Musa Dattijo   Muhammad, (JSC) on Friday 27th October 2023.

“In disagreeing very strongly with the ruling of both the Presidential Petitions Court (PEPC) and the Supreme Court on the outcome of the 25th February 2023 Presidential election as declared by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as democrats who believe in the rule of law, we recognize that the Supreme Court is the end stage of the quest for legal closure to the matter.

“As a party and as candidates, Datti and I have now exhausted all legal and constitutional remedies available to us. However, this end is only another beginning in our quest for the vindication of the hope of the common man for a better country. After all, sovereignty belongs to the people! If only for historical purposes, it behooves us to place our disagreement with and deep reservations about this judgment on public record.

“We have long been aware of how weak national institutions have negatively   affected   our   democracy.   This   year   2023   has   been   quite remarkable and revealing.  INEC has displayed incompetence in the conduct   of   its   statutory   duty.   The   judiciary   has   largely   acted   in defiance of constitutional tenets, precedents, and established ground rules. Political expediency has preceded judicial   responsibility.  A mechanical application of technicalities has superseded the pursuit of justice and fairness. Both INEC and the Supreme Court as the referees, respectively shifted the goalposts in the middle of the game.”

Obi added that going forward, he will intensify his desire to have a nation where every citizen will have his fair opportunity to excel adding that there must be a new narrative to move the country from consumption to production.

“Our mission and mandate remain unchanged. From the very onset, our mission has been more about enthroning a new Nigeria. It is a new nation where things work, where the country is led from its present waste and consumption orientation to a production-driven economy.

“Our commitment is to a nation   anchored   on   the   principles   of prudent management of resources to   quickly pull millions out of multidimensional poverty, ensuring transparency and accountability in   the   equitable   distribution   of   opportunities, resources, and privileges. In the new Nigeria, we aim to address all unmet needs by showing compassion for all those left behind by the present system.

“Going   forward, we in the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement are glad that the nation   has   heard   us   loud   and   clear.   We   shall   now   expand   the confines of our message of hope to the rest of the country. We shall meet the people in the places where they feel pain and answer their needs for hope. At marketplaces, motor parks, town halls, board rooms, and   university   and   college   campuses, we   all   carry   and deliver the message of a new Nigeria. As stakeholders and elected Labour Party officials, we shall remain loyal to our manifesto. We will continue to canvas for good governance and focus on issues that promote national interest, unity, and cohesion”.

He promised that the LP will continue to   give   primacy   to   the   Constitution, the   rule   of   law, and   the protection   of   ordered liberties, as well as    offer   the   checks   and balances   required   in   a   functional   democracy.

With him at the briefing were chieftains of the party including the Director General of the Obi –Datti Campaign Organization, Akin Oshuntokun.

In it response to Obi, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga  on Monday in a statement, said the Labour Party Presidential candidate in the last election, Mr. Peter Obi, just like Atiku Abubakar, cast aspersions on the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission for not declaring him the winner of the February 25, 2023 election.

Onanuga said they were at a loss as to how the copy-cat Obi and his faction of the Labour Party convinced themselves they won an election in which they came a distant third.

According to him, the grand delusion that made Mr. Obi believe he could have won a national election where he ran the most hateful, divisive and polarising campaign that pitched Christians against Muslims and one ethnic group against the other in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society like Nigeria should be a matter for deeper examination.

The statement read: “At the press conference where he tried, in vain, to gaslight Nigerians with false claims and innuendos, Mr. Obi contradicted himself.  Here was a beneficiary of judicial pronouncements in the past now castigating the same court because its judgment did not go his way.

Mr. Obi claimed the Supreme Court justices didn’t consider public opinion in delivering what has been applauded as a most profound judgement in an election appeal where the Labour Party candidate presented the most watery and unreasonable petition before any court in the history of electoral cases in Nigeria.

We wonder how the Labour Party candidate expected  the courts to do justice on the basis of rumours, lies and false narratives by sponsored partisans and fanatical members of his Obidient Movement.

We expected the Labour Party candidate to know that the Supreme Court or any other court does not give judgment based on public opinion and mob sentiments. Judicial pronouncements are based on evidence, precedents and the rule of law.

Having admitted that the Supreme Court ruling brought an end to litigation and any challenge to the bona-fide of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the validly elected leader of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Obi should have congratulated President Tinubu for his victory and pledge his support, in the spirit of statesmanship.

But instead, he brought up extraneous matters that he thought the apex court should have considered to declare him the winner. In our view, the drowning Obi, just like Atiku, was merely attempting to hold on to a straw in raking up new allegations, which exist only in his imagination and that of his hordes of supporters.

Our admonition to Mr. Peter Obi is to find another worthwhile vocation to engage his time henceforth, having been rejected by majority of Nigerians who didn’t consider him qualified to lead our country.

If Mr. Peter Obi truly believes in Nigeria, the time to prove it is now when all men and women of goodwill are rallying support for President Tinubu in his determination to lead a new era of prosperity, inclusive governance and economic growth in Nigeria.

Finally, we welcome Obi and his party to play the role of the opposition and start preparing for another shot at the presidency in 2027.

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UBA Raises N157bn Via Rights Issue to Boost Capital Base

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United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) has announced plans to raise N157 billion through a rights issue.The disclosure was made via a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd (NGX).It said in a statement on Thursday that its stock brokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., had submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.

to that effect.
It added its stock brokers had requested for approval and listing of a Rights Issue of 3,156,869,665 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N50.
00 per share“Trading License Holders are hereby notified that United Bank for Africa Plc, through its Stockbrokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., has submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.” in that regard.
“The rights issue will be on the basis of one new ordinary share for every 13 ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.“The qualification date for the Rights Issue is July 16, 2025,” the bank noted.The move is part of UBA’s strategy to strengthen its capital base and support its expansion and growth objectives across Africa.(NAN)

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Benue Uncovers Over 4000 Substandard Schools

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From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Over 4000 substandard and illegal schools have been uncovered and ready to be shut down across the state.The chief press secretary to the Benue State Governor, Tersoo Kula disclosed this at a press conference in Makurdi.Kula was reacting to a statement credited to former commissioner for education and knowledge management, Prof.

Dennis Ityavyar, said that Governor Alia has stabilised the educational sector since coming on board two years ago.
”No more strikes. Schools are moving on smoothly and in a bid to bring teaching and learning closer to the people and address the problem of younger school leavers in securing admission into tertiary institutions, the governor has established a new university.
”The establishment of University of Agriculture Science and Technology Ihugh, Vandeikyaa LGA is real..The governor has secured the licence, acquired land and made appointments of principal officers.”This is to address the issue of providing admission for the teeming Benue indigenes seeking admission into Nigerian universities.”The Governor has employed over 9700 teachers to energize public primary schools in the state. Apart from the fact that our primary schools would be energized, 9700 youths have been taken off the streets.”The government of governor Alia has also paid the 38 months earned allowance owed to lecturers at the Moses Adasu University, formerly Benue State University Makurdi”, he said.He maintained that renovation of government secondary schools and colleges across the state are ongoing where ongoing construction of new structures is in some public primary and secondary schools to ensure conducive learning environment.”Public primary schools teachers are trained on ITCs to enhance the teaching and learning of information and technology innovations at elementary level.”This government has been able to identify over 4000 substandard schools in the state and have secured insurance cover for Benue State students and paid bursary allowances in law school students in the state”, Kula stated.Benue Moves to Domesticate National Policy on IDPsThe Benue State Government has commenced a validation process to domesticate the newly federal government policy on Internally Displaced Persons (PDP) in the State.Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management in the State, Aondowase Kunde, stated that upon stakeholders’ inputs into the Internally Displaced Persons policy document, it would be fully launched.He added that the aim is to improve the welfare of the displaced population in the state.Kunde stated this during a two policy validation meeting held at Benue Hotels Makurdi yesterday.He maintained that the document which was passed into law by the national assembly needed to be domesticated in the state in line with the peculiarities of the state.In his remarks, the chairman, House Committee on Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Benue State House of assembly, James Abu Umoro, noted that the state has suffered so many natural and man-made disasters that it requires the policy to be domesticated in the state.Umoru insisted that the house will not hesitate to pass the document into law when presented by the executive arm of government.He said the issue of IDP in the state is a concern for everyone and must be given accelerated consideration at any point in time.On his part, House committee chairman on SDG and Donor Agencies, Peter Uche, noted that in most cases, communities have suffered attacks for more than ten years.”Let me therefore, call on all to support the implementation of the policy document for the displaced to return to their ancestral homes to start their normal farming and business activities”, he stated.The Director General, Sustainable Development Goals, John Akuse, who spoke at the occasion, said the validation of the IDP policy document is vital in paving the way for the displaced population to be adequately taken care of regarding their peculiar needs.

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Tinubu Honours Buhari, Renames University of Maiduguri after Late President

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By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State as Muhammadu Buhari University.

“May we now adopt the University of Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.

The President paid a glowing tribute to Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism and moral uprightness would endure for generations.

Tinubu said although the late president was not without flaws, his unwavering commitment to national service set him apart.

“President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man.

“His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten.

“His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” he said.

Reflecting on Buhari’s time in office and his long military and civil service, Tinubu praised the late leader’s simplicity, humility, and stoic resistance to the trappings of power.

He said, “He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular.

“His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism lived more in action than in words.”

Tinubu also recounted their political alliance, which culminated in the historic 2015 elections that marked Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint,” he said.

The President expressed admiration for Buhari’s post-office modesty, noting that he returned to his hometown, Daura, without seeking to wield influence behind the scenes.

“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.

“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns,” he added.

Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral within 48 hours, describing it as a “profound honour” to lead the burial procession in Daura.

He concluded his tribute with a prayer: “Mai Gaskiya, the People’s General, the Farmer President, your duty is done. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. May his life continue to inspire generations of Nigerians to serve with courage, conviction, and selflessness. President Buhari, thank you. Nigeria will remember you.”

Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, at the age of 82.

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