POLITIES

Rivers Election Tribunal Place Hold On Judgment

The Rivers state Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja has put on hold judgment in a petition filled by the All Progressives Congress and its gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside against the electoral victory of Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Governor Nyesom Wike

This stance was taken by the tribunal yesterday, October 22, after both parties in the  had argued their case.
Governor Wike and his party had asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in substance and merit.
The counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission had told the tribunal to dismiss Dankuku’s petition arguing that the burden of proof rests with the petitioner who had failed to make his case before the tribunal, The Sun.
READ ALSO: Tribunal Upholds Victory Of PD Lawmaker, Dimisses APC
On the part of PDP lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) the petition lacks merit adding that the tribunal has no jurisdiction to amend APC’s petition after the party has abandoned the reliefs.
Olanipekun further stressed that while the petitioner alleged several cases of violence and abduction of voters but could not present  same before the tribunal a single witness to prove his case.
Aligning with PDP lawyer, the INEC counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN)  told the court that soldiers, DSS men and mobile policemen  brought by the APC gave contradictory evidence which did not give a true reflection of what took place at the polling units thus their statement were unreliable.
READ ALSO: Ambode’s Victory: Senator Adeola Berates Lagos PDP
However, the counsel to the APC in Rivers state Akin Olujimi (SAN) prayed the tribunal to grant the request of his client arguing that the burden of proof rests with the respondents.
Olujimi noted that card readers remain valid to the proper conduct of  the election stating that the petitioners have provided the court with enough evidence that the  April 11 gubernatorial election in the state was marred with irregularities.

Six Lessons Nigerians Have Learnt - Reuben Abati

Editor’s view: Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, after thirty-three years of primarily military rule.
In his eye-opening article Reuben Abati, media aide of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, describes six lessons that Nigeria has learnt as democratic country.
The greatest residue of our democracy in the last 16 years (1999–2015), I think, is the manner in which our community has been enriched by lessons that have practically changed our lives. The democratic deficit is less than the gain; for us, democracy is essentially liberative and should endure.
It is partly the reason why no matter the observed shortcomings of the five-month old Buhari administration, the Nigerian people remain optimistic about their belief in the viability of the democratic option. They know that they have been empowered in such a manner that succeeding governments will always be held accountable to the electorate. Thus, democracy has reframed the national dialogue and the people’s expectations.

1. Nigerian people secured victory against a military establishment

In 1999, with the return to civilian rule, the Nigerian people secured victory against a military establishment, which had exercised political authority, formally and informally, for about 33 years.
They fought for six years to insist on democracy and the people’s right to choose. Sixteen years later, after many seasons of trial, we have reached a point in our romance with democracy, whereby no other form of government appeals to us. It is clear to every discerning person that only democratic rule is now acceptable to Nigerians. For it has shown us, how powerful we can possibly be. No other event has proven this to be true, more concretely than the last general elections.
READ ALSO: Bakare Shames NANS Over Endorsing Obasanjo For 3rd Term

It should not be lost on Nigerians, the significance of the removal from office of an incumbent President.   In 2015, the power of the vote turned the Nigerian voter into the ultimate political authority, resulting in a greater sense of public ownership of the democratic enterprise.  He or she knows that elected representatives can be held accountable through the ballot box.

2. The third term agenda of Obasanjo

Secondly, in 2005, an attempt was made to bypass the Nigerian Constitution and extend to a third term, the tenure of the then incumbent President. This alleged plan against the people was to have been hatched with the imprimatur of the national legislature, but again the people rose against the planned subterfuge. Pierre Nkurunziza may have succeeded in executing the same anti-people ploy in Burundi, and Paul Kagame may be toying with it in Rwanda, but it is not the kind of folly that anyone will ever try again in Nigeria and hope to succeed.
The people have learnt that those in positions of power at the highest level may not be trusted to respect the laws of the land or the oath of office they took. Having stopped one former president from transforming into a monarch, the phrase – third term remains in our political lexicon, a reminder of what is constitutionally unacceptable.

3. The implications of the health of Nigerian leaders

Third lesson: Nigerians have become very conscious of the implications of the health of their leaders for the stability of the polity.
They were taught that lesson during the three-year rule of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. At the time, the key subject was the mortality of the president. From that point onwards, any sign that a potential president could be nursing a terminal disease became a major campaign issue.
READ ALSO: Why Obasanjo Is Opposed To Jonathan’s Second Term Bid
President Yar’Adua’s death threw up other sub-lessons about the supremacy of the Constitution and the right of other Nigerians to aspire to the highest office in the land, but the people would have preferred to have him healthily alive and not to have a Presidency dominated by morbidity and remembered, and excused, largely on that score. It is therefore not surprising that in the last elections, physical fitness and mortality became key issues of campaign.

4. Any citizen whoever he or she may be, can aspire to be the president

With his emergence as Nigerian President in 2010, Goodluck Jonathan laid to rest the myth that to occupy that office, the candidate must be a person of privilege. His parents were ordinary folk. He was himself like the guy next door; his life a replica of the life of any struggling Nigerian of his age who had attended university, gone through national service, hustled for employment and was like the rest of us.
Hitherto, Nigerian leaders had elite connections or bearings and they wielded authority as if it was their birthright to do so. This claim to leadership birthright is now a subject of inquiry. It explains why in the last general elections, it became clear to all and sundry that there are now certain minimum standards being set nationwide in terms of personal attributes, experience and exposure with regard to public office.

5. The moral bar of our democratic process

Fifth lesson: when President Goodluck Jonathan conceded victory to President Buhari after the 2015 elections, he raised the moral bar of our democratic process. Nigerians have taken to heart the fact that the people have the power to change a sitting government at all levels and that the power of incumbency even at the centre is at the mercy of the electorate.
READ ALSO: Is Muhammadu Buhari Able To Bring On Change To Nigeria?
These days, it is not unusual to find an average Nigerian of voting age holding an elected person accountable and swearing that any form of misconduct will be questioned.
Good news! What prevails in Nigeria today therefore is not merely voter confidence; it is best described as voter arrogance or voter dictatorship.

6. Nigerians have learnt to ask for accountability

Sixth lesson, and this is probably the most important. Nigerians have learnt after 16 years of democratic rule not to place implicit trust in politicians without asking for accountability. They know that professional politicians are capable of  lies, they deceive, they over-promise in order to secure their mandate, and also, that there are no true saints in power-ville.  They are also learning that election campaign is different from governance, that governance is complex, politics is treacherous, and that politicians will say anything to win the votes and get into power. A corollary lesson: to resolve the cleavages that trouble Nigeria and render institutions ineffectual, government must be effective and our democracy must become more liberal and less of a mechanism for class formation and ethnic competition.
Five months of reverse ratiocination by the Buhari administration should make that clear even to the most naive. The people should also know that politicians have no differences on matters of self-interest; and they choose to exploit our many fault lines to achieve their objectives.
READ ALSO: Five Things Nigerians Will Have To Bear For Buhari To Change Nigeria
Nigerian politics is therefore not about ideology or principles; it is about power and who gets into the arena. But the people have also learnt one more thing: that change is possible, no matter the shape.
Read the rest at Reubenabati.com

Presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati

Reuben Abati, born November 7, 1965 in Abeokuta, Ogun state, was special adviser on media and publicity to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. He was previously a newspaper columnist and the chairman of the editorial board of the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian from 2001 to 2011.
The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Naij.com.

Suicide Bomber Attacks Maiduguri Mosque

A suicide bomber supposed to be a member of the deadly Boko Haram sect has attacked a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno state.
The onslaught occurred early today, October 23, as Muslims gather at a mosque to observe morning prayers in the old GRA area in the troubled city.
According to Sahara Reporters a yet to be determined number of Muslim worshippers have been killed.
READ ALSO: Half Knowledge Of Islam Is The Cause Of Boko Haram
However, the witness informed about 18 victims:

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (@AP) — Witness: Twin bomb blasts kill at least 18 at mosque in northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri.

— Ryan Gaydos (@RyanGaydos) October 23, 2015

The explosion was carried out by a suspected lone suicide bomber, whose two accomplices escaped, when some vigilant members of the community accosted them on their suspicious movements.
Premium Times reports that two explosions, according to residents happened in Jiddari Polo area at about 5am when Muslims were performing the first congregational prayer of Friday.
Security personnel have cordoned the area while rescue and aide workers tried to evacuate corpses and wounded victims.
A spokesperson of the local Civilian-JTF, Abbas Gava, told newsmen that “it was two bomb explosion in a mosque in Jiddari Polo,  very close to the Federal High Court complex. We are still trying to get the correct figure of casualties”.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Military Gives Final Warning To Boko Haram
UPDATE: Another civilian JTF operative, who spoke anonymously from the scene of the bomb blast confirmed that “so far, we have evacuated 18 bodies to the hospital alongside many injured ones that are almost lifeless”. 
“We counted 28 dead bodies,” Umar Sani, from the militia, who helped in the rescue operation, told AFP. His information was supported by Musa Sheriff, a local resident who also helped.
The National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the bombing saying that its rescuers evacuated 6 dead bodies of the victims.
A senior health worker also confirmed that the 6 bodies have been deposited in the mortuary, while the 17 other wounded victims are being treated in Specialist and teaching hospitals in Maiduguri.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to end the activities of the insurgents by December and the Nigerian Military in a last statement issued reads: “This is to finally warn all Boko Haram terrorists wherever they are, to desist from all acts of terrorism, surrender themselves and face the law now. We wish to inform them that we are aware of all their hideouts, camps and enclaves.”
Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State and the birthplace of Boko Haram in 2002, has been the epicentre of the six-year-old terrorismand repeatedly attacked since Buhari assumed office.
The city is attacked almost on a weekly basis. This latest attack occurred days after at least 30 people were killed when two suicide bombers attacked a mosque in the Mulai area.

Top 5 Ministerial Nominees That Interested Nigerians

At the moment, the ongoing ministerial screening is one of the most talked about topic on the lips of Nigerians.
Some of the nominees exhibited an excellent performance, dazzling Nigerians who couldn’t stop talking about it.
There were some other nominees that kept Nigerians anticipating their screening as they were a bit controversial and had a lot of drama surrounding their nomination.
Below are some of the nominees who have so far been the star attractions at the ongoing ministerial screening.
1. Babatunde Fashola: the former governor of Lagos state was screened on October 14. There were some controversial allegations against the ex-governor of Lagos state which contributed to the build-up of interest in the minds of Nigerians.

During his screening, he held the attention of the senators as he confidently answered his questions.
When quizzed about the borehole and website fraud allegation, he responded: “As governor of Lagos state, i didn’t sign cheques, none of my commissioners signed cheques.”
He won the hearts of many Nigerians and some are started campaigning for him to be president of Nigeria.
2. Amina J. Mohammed:
She is one of the six female ministerial nominees. She was screened by the Senate on October 13. Amina confidently answered the questions thrown at her during screening. She talked about the need for Nigeria to integrate the new Sustainable Development Goals into its long term plans.

Amina J. Mohammed

She captured the hearts of many Nigerians with her intelligence and confidence.
3. Kayode Fayemi:
The former governor of Ekiti state showed that he was not just any kind of politician but a smart one. Fielding questions from senators, he challenged anyone to bring an invoice of 50 million naira bed he was accused of buying in the state house during his tenure as governor.

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“I challenge anyone to bring an invoice of a bed in the state house that is worth N50m. I did not spend irresponsibly on it. It is probably one of the cheapest state houses in Nigeria,” he said.
4. Lai Mohammed: The national publicity secretary of the APC was nominated to represent Kwara state as a prospective minister in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet. A mild drama ensued during his screening.

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He was not allowed to speak as senators who were apparently APC members began to yell at the APC scribe saying: “Bow and go… bow and go.”
It took the intervention of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki for the senators to give him an opportunity to speak.
5. Rotimi Amaechi: The nomination of Amaechi was trailed with controversy as senators from his state opposed his becoming a minister. His screening was deferred on three different occasions following a petition by three senators from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over allegations against him by his successor Nyesom Wike.

After much drama, the former governor was screened on Thursday, October 22. Amaechi was trending on social media. He was one of the most talked about ministerial nominee as people couldn’t stop lashing the PDP for turning dumb and not asking him any question. Others made fun of Amaechi after he said had never taken bribe in his life.

 

Pregnant Woman Bursts Cheating Husband's Testicles

A pregnant woman has crushed her husband’s testicles after she learnt that he was cheating on her.
The unfortunate incident, according to The Sun, occurred in Aguleri community in Anambra State on Thursday, after the husband died from the harm done by the wife.

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A crowd of people watching an ongoing fight

The five-month-old pregnant woman had accused her husband of cheating on her because of her state, she was said to have gone into his room, held his testicles and crushed it with an object.
The man was said to have died on the spot and even his friend who took him to the mortuary was killed in a fatal accident, thus throwing the family into serious mourning.
The Onitsha Area Commander, ACP Philip Ezekiel, who confirmed the incident, noted that the Otuocha Divisional Police Office was investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, in a twist of fate, a woman who heard that her husband was taking a second wife, took to twitter to announce her support for him.