News
I’ve paid over N6m, yet to receive exhibits from INEC — Atiku
The Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate in the last election Abubakar Atiku on Tuesday complained to the Presidential Election Petition Court that the Independent National Electoral Commission refused to provide them with some documents which they requested.
This the party and Atiku told the court during the hearing of their petitions challenging the presidential election wherein Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress emerged as the winner.
The petitioners informed the court that though he has paid over N6 million for the certification of exhibits in evidence before the court, the Commission had yet to make the requested materials available to him
The respondents in the petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023 are Independent National Electoral Commission, Tinubu and the APC.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel for Atiku, Eyitayo Jegede SAN sought to tender forms EC8A from 10 out of 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State to establish the petition against Tinubu.
The exhibits, mainly documents used for the February 25 Presidential Election, were from Ankpa, Dekina, Idah, Ofu, Olamaboro, Yagba East, Yagba West, Kabba-Bunu and Igalamela Odolu.
Although the schedule of documents was filed along with the exhibits, the court declared that presenting such sensitive exhibits at piece meals would not be of any help, especially in the areas of marking and numbering them.
Jegede, however, blamed the electoral body for deliberate refusal to supply his client with the vital documents.
He lamented that the electoral body had not been forthcoming and cooperating as they are supposed to be.
Jegede further stated that to salvage the situation, Atiku’s legal team had to subpoena top officials of INEC to compel them to bring the required documents before the Court on their own.
As a result of the limitations caused by the situation, the senior advocate sought a 24-hour adjournment to enable him to approach the electoral body to do the needful.
Following no objections from counsel to the respondents, the presiding justice of the five-man panel, Justice Tsammani adjourned the matter to June 7.
Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has described the planned increase in electricity and telecom tariffs as unconscionable.
The statement comes after the telecoms regulator last week approved the increase in mobile tariffs.
The federal government also recently said that plans were ongoing to increase electricity tariffs “over the next few months.”
However, Sani, who said the government’s plan is unreasonable, insisted that it should be halted.
The ex-lawmaker also expressed his support for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the scheduled protest against the government’s proposal, calling it a welcome development.
“The planned increase in electricity tariffs in the midst of poor power supply and the proposal to increase telecom tariffs is unconscionable and should be halted. The scheduled labour union protest is a welcome development,” he posted on X.
The United States President, Donald Trump, has revealed his decision to cut off all future funding to South Africa, citing poor treatment of “certain classes of people.”
Trump made this known on Sunday in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform.
According to Trump, South Africa was seizing land and mistreating some citizens without concern for the violations of their rights.
“South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY.
“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump wrote.
Reports suggest that the American leader may be defending White South Africans, some of whom have alleged that the South African policy is unfair to them.
There are indications that the federal government will on Monday meet with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to stop the planned Tuesday nationwide protest against the 50 percent telecommunications tariff hike.
A reliable source familiar with the matter, who preferred anonymity, disclosed this on Monday morning, noting that the meeting between the NLC leadership and the federal government is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday.
The source said the meeting was a “dialogue on matters of national interest as it affects Nigerian workers.”
According to the source, it will be an inter-ministerial meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), purposely to resolve issues raised by the NLC concerning the federal government’s approved upward adjustment to telecommunications tariffs, which the NLC, its allies, and others are vehemently opposing.
This comes as the NLC is already mobilizing workers for a mass protest tomorrow (February 4) against the 50 percent tariff hike approval.
On Thursday last week, in a letter to affiliate unions and state councils, NLC General Secretary Emma Ugboaja urged them to mobilize other Nigerians to send a serious message to the government.
The planned protest follows the 50 percent telecom tariff approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on January 20, 2025.
The approval had sparked widespread rejection among telecom subscribers.
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