Metro

Nigeria: President Tinubu tells Supreme Court to dismiss Atiku’s petition against his victory

Published

7 months ago

October 13, 2023

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, seeking to nullify his election victory.

In the 42-page document filed on Thursday, Tinubu asked the court to uphold the decision of the Court of Appeal of September 6 which dismissed the joint petition Atiku and the PDP had filed against him after the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) had upheld his victory.

The president’s legal team insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had correctly pronounced him the winner of the disputed presidential election of February 25, after he received a plurality of the votes and at least 25% of the total votes cast in 29 states of the federation.

Atiku, Nigeria’s former Vice President, had, however, gone to court claiming he won the election, even though he secured only at least 25% of the total votes cast in 21 states of the federation, as against the constitutional requirement of 24.7 states, which is the mathematical results of two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.

Part of Tinubu’s argument reads:

“The hyperbolic character of the forgoing allegations was exposed by the petition itself, which had no facts in support thereof.

“Starting from the allegation of non-qualification of the Respondent, all that the Appellants submitted to the lower court through their petition was that the 2nd Respondent (Tinubu) was at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election not having the constitutional threshold.

“While they also claimed to have won the highest number of votes cast at the election, as against INEC’s declaration, throughout their petition, they did not suggest an alternative score which they considered correct, whether for themselves or the Respondent.

“Though they had alleged that the election was riddled with non-compliance and corrupt practices, the paragraphs of their petition putting up these allegations were nothing short of vague, imprecise, generic and nebulous.”

President Tinubu also told the apex court that whereas Atiku raised issue of non-transmission of results, all the witnesses he brought before the PEPC, “agreed that the election went very smoothly, where INEC complied with all the prescribed procedures.”

He, therefore, urged the Supreme Court to dismiss Atiku’s appeal as “lacking in merit and to affirm the election and return of the Respondent by INEC as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having scored highest number of lawful votes cast and fulfilling all constitutional requirements.”

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Metro

Hope for persons with disability, as Muleya shares promising story of inclusivity in governance

Published

16 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Frederick John Muleya, a differently abled person based in Choma town, Southern Province, has shared some insights of changes being made to people like him in discussing freedom of expression and other various issues.

Recently appointed as a Ward Development Committee for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to represent persons with disabilities in his area, Muleya expressed optimism of inclusivity and freedom of expression.

He expressed believe that this was a starting point for persons with disabilities to have a platform which can be used to discuss critical issues such as freedom of expression.

In an interview with Zambia Monitor in Choma, Muleya’s hope was that persons with disabilities would now be able to have freedom of expression, especially through media coverage.

“In terms of freedom, right now there are some changes but before this government, it was very difficult. The new government is trying to be inclusive with persons with disabilities. There are some changes.

“Sometimes, we have been called to Choma Mano [radio station in Choma] to express ourselves and say what we want from the government. The media is not really giving us a platform to express ourselves, but they are trying,” he said.

Asked if he felt persons with disabilities were fully included regarding freedom of expression, Muleya said; “Not yet included but there are some changes. There are some promises, as I said earlier, it is the first time to include persons with disability in the CDF committee.

“So, we see some changes that maybe in future things will not be the same as they were before.”

Meanwhile, Muleya emphasised the need for public places, including media entities to consider putting slops for people living with disabilities in their building.

“We find that measurements of the doors, a person using a wheelchair cannot use the toilet, so when people are planning to build structures, we have to be included so that we decide together,” he said.

Muleya’s views show signs of improvement in freedom of expression by the government to ensure that people living with disabilities are included in the decision-making process.

This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.

Metro

Nigerian govt to open student loan application portal May 24

Published

18 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

The Nigerian government has announced that the portal for the long awaited student loan scheme will open on May 24, 2024, under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund).

The announcement which was made in a statement on Thursday by the media lead for the NELFund, Nasir Ayantogo, stated that once the portal is opened, eligible student will have the opportunity of applying for educational loans.

Ayantogo said the opening of the application portal marked a significant milestone in the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to fostering accessible and inclusive education for all Nigerian students.

The portal, according Ayantogo, provides a user-friendly interface for students to submit their loan applications conveniently.

“Through the portal, students can now access loans to pursue their academic aspirations without financial constraints.

“We encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in their future and contribute to the growth and development of our nation.

“Students can access the portal on www.nelf.gov.ng to begin application,” the statement said.

President Bola Tinubu had, on June 12, 2023, signed the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023, into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans for their educational pursuits in any Nigerian tertiary institution.

The Act, popularly known as the Students Loan Law, also established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to process all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.

While signing the Act into law, Tinubu had said:

“This is not an exclusive programme. It is catering to all of our young people. Young Nigerians are gifted in different areas.

“This is not only for those who want to be doctors, lawyers, and accountants. It is also for those who aspire to use their skilled and trained hands to build our nation.

“In accordance with this, I have instructed NELFund to explore all opportunities to inculcate skill-development programmes because not everybody wants to go through a full university education,” he had said.

Tinubu had said that he based his decision on the need for the scheme to accommodate those who may not want to pursue a university education, noting that skill acquisition is as essential as obtaining undergraduate and graduate academic qualifications.