Politics

Finally, Nigeria’s highest court affirms President Tinubu’s election

Published

1 year ago

October 26, 2023

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has affirmed the decision of the tribunal, dismissing the appeals of opposition candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, and upholding the election of President Bola Tinubu.

In a final attempt to overturn the election result, Abubakar and Obi urged the Supreme Court to dismiss a tribunal ruling on September 6 that upheld Tinubu’s victory. Their attorneys argued before the Supreme Court that the lower court erred in holding that the electoral agency’s pre-election guideline to electronically transmit polling place results was not a mandatory requirement.

The court, in its lead ruling, which was delivered by Justice John Okoro, rejected the Peoples Democratic Party’s (Abubakar’s) appeal contesting the ruling of the presidential election petition tribunal. The panel also concurred with Okoro’s decision to deny Atiku’s application to tender Tinubu’s CSU credentials as fresh evidence.

Other justices on the panel were Adamu Jauro, Emmanuel Agim, Mohammed Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Uwani Aji, and Abubakar Tijjani.

Salawa Ibrahim said, “The application by Atiku is frivolous and vexatious and deserves to be dismissed. I find no merit in the appeal and dismissal, and I affirm the decision of the lower court.”

Agim said, “I agree with the reasoning if the fresh evidence is not authentic as stated by the authority before it was presented. It was not sealed or had a signature. It cannot be used in Nigeria without authentication.

“I agree with why. It was obvious to all, including those who brought it. The FCT violates the fundamental principle of the interpretation of the Constitution, and it must be interpreted in a way that provides equality. The parties should bear their own costs.”

The court also stated that the topics brought up by Obi had already been addressed in Atiku’s appeal and further declared that the double nomination matter of Vice President Kashim Shetimma should not have been brought before the court.

Since the beginning of the current Fourth Republic in 1999, after years of military dictatorship, elections in Nigeria have been marred by controversy and violence, generating legal petitions. All presidential elections between the 1999 and 2023 exercises have ended up at the apex court except in 2015, in which immediate former president Mohammadu Buhari defeated then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

The verdict puts a legal conclusion to the cloud of controversies surrounding Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, which many observers adjudged to be flawed.

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

24 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.