Politics
We won’t flog dead horses – APC declines to open defence in Atiku’s petition

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday told the Presidential Election Petition Court that it would not participate in the whipping of dead horses as it declined to open defence in the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, challenging the conduct and declaration in the February 25 presidential election.
The APC, through its lead counsel, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN, said that there was absolutely nothing to defend in the separate petitions of the Labour Party and the PDP.
The senior lawyer came to the conclusion not to open defence in Atiku’s petition after cross examining the Senate Majority Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, the Star witness to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Fagbemi had subjected Senator Bamidele to rigorous questioning, during which the witness, who is a legal practitioner, admitted that Tinubu’s election cannot be reversed on the strength of his forfeiture of $460, 000 to the United States of America (USA) through a court order.
The witness, while responding to Fagbemi’s questions, held that Tinubu was not arraigned, indicted, or sentenced for any criminal charges by any American court, adding that civil forfeiture cannot take the place of a criminal trial and conviction.
“As far as criminal indictment is concerned, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has a clean bill of health because he was never indicted and convicted by any American court,” Senator Bamidele said.
Answering another question, the Senate Majority Leader claimed to have known President Tinubu for more than 35 years as bonafide Nigerian citizen by birth.
However, after reviewing the evidence of the witness and deciding it was time for APC to open defence, Fagbemi said, “Having taken a sober reflection of the entire case, we have enough evidence and we are not calling any witnesses; we do not intend to whip dead horses, we announce the closure of the case of the 3rd respondent.”
Earlier, the Senate Majority Leader told the Presidential Election Petition Court that President Bola Tinubu does not need to score 25 percent of votes cast in FCT to be declared winner of the February 25 election.
The witness, who was cross examined by Eyitayo Jegede, SAN counsel to Atiku and PDP said although Abuja is the Federal Capital of Nigeria but has no special status other than that.
When asked if the committee’s report on the location of FCT recommended a special status for FCT, the witness admitted that FCT is a symbol of unity, maintained that other state capitals such as Kano, Ibadan, Enugu, and others are also centers of unity.
He agreed with the petitioner’s counsel that President Tinubu scored 19.4 percent in total votes cast in FCT.
When told that Tinubu emerged as the first president to be declared without scoring 25 percent votes in FCT and not winning his home state, the witness said it did not matter.
According to the witness, the judgment of the US court on the forfeiture of $460,000 has Tinubu’s name but not as a criminal suspect but as a civil proceeding, insisting that it was a civil forfeiture and not a criminal forfeiture.
Under further cross examination by counsel to APC, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, the witness agreed that there cannot be a conviction without a charge, trial, indictment, and conviction.
The witness said by the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a suit filed by Labour Party against INEC on the mode of collation of election results held that INEC is at liberty to use any mode of collation it deems fit.
After the testimony of President Tinubu’s sole witness, Wole Olanipekun, SAN announced the closure of Tinubu’s defence, while Lateef Fagbemi, announced for APC.
Meanwhile, the Court has given the respondents 10 days to file their final written addresses, and the petitioner 7 days to respond and 5 days to reply on point of law.
Presiding Justice of the Presidential Election Petition Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani
said that the parties would be communicated on the date for the adoption of the final written addresses.
Politics
Rivers crisis: Why I won’t make peace with Fubara – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has revealed one of the reasons he can’t make peace with Governor Similayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Wike accused Fubara of removing a chief in his family and went ahead to make another person a chief.
The FCT Minister stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions from journalists at a media parley in Abuja.
According to reports, the statement comes amid the ongoing political crisis in the State, with Wike and Governor Similayi Fubara at the center of the feud.
“Sometimes when you people talk about this peace, you don’t take everything. You don’t just sit outside to talk.
“Look at me, a former governor, Minister of of the FCT, Governor (Fubara) had the temerity, the audacity, because he has money from federation account, because he has more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), will enter my own family to remove a chief and make another person a chief,” Wike said.
News
Lagos HoA Crisis: Let Obasa Stay, Tinubu Tells Lawmakers

President Bola Tinubu has instructed lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly to allow the impeached and reinstated Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, to continue leading the house.
The President made this position known when he met with the lawmakers at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday.
As reported earlier, this is the first time President Tinubu is meeting the lawmakers since the crisis began in the house January 13, 2025.
One of the lawmakers told newsmen that ” Obasa is staying. We will obey the president. What we had was a family meeting. The President condenmed Obasa’s actions but blamed us for not carring him (Tinubu) along during the impeachement execrise”.
However, the lawmaker said President Tinubu warned Obasa to carry everyone along.
” He also warned him (Obasa) that if there were any future complaints from any quarters, he would be gone. “The President said he should let peace reign; and so based on that, we have accepted.”
On the pending matter in court, the source said: “The President has instructed him to withdraw it.”
Politics
Fubara not sincere, playing to gallery – Rivers Assembly

The Rivers State House of Assembly has disagreed with the claims by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, that he was blocked from entering the House to re-present his 2025 Appropriation Bill.
The House said it never received any official communication from the governor indicating his interest to bring his appropriation bill to the floor of the House.
Spokesperson of the House and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi George, described the claims of the governor as a mere comedy skit scripted to paint the House in bad light.
George recalled that on March 3, the House of Assembly wrote to the governor requesting him to bring his 2025 appropriation bill to the lawmakers following the judgement of the Supreme Court.
He said: “We were the ones, who immediately after that judgement appealed to the governor to bring his appropriation bill. We acted immediately because we have the interest of the state at heart and didn’t want Rivers people to suffer any harm.
“Despite withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still wanted him to hasten up the presentation in the interest of the progress of Rivers.
“We indicated our intentions in that letter and even gave him a timeframe because of the urgency of the matter. To regularise his appointments, we also urged him during our subsequent sitting to submit the names of his nominees for the positions of commissioners and some boards’ membership for screening and confirmation.
“But, the governor rebuffed our pleas. We sent employees of the Assembly to deliver these resolutions to him. But, as usual, they turned them down at the gate and even brutalized them. We resorted to engaging the services of a courier company.
“But, he still did not heed our call forgetting that there are essential services like hospitals, schools and others to be funded. Our intention was to finish everything about the budget on March 15, so that we could send necessary information and documents to relevant agencies of the government to allow the release of Rivers allocations at the end of March. But, with what he is doing, we don’t know what he wants to achieve.
“How can he turn around to claim that we blocked him from re-presenting his budget? This is the height of insincerity. We even need the budget to be passed because the governor has been owing us our entitlements for more than a year and without the budget, we can’t get our entitlements.
“The governor and his team simply and deliberately acted Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive to tarnish the image of the Assembly. The governor is simply playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiments. But, it has backfired because the truth has come out”.
Besides, George insisted that the letter the governor claimed that he sent to the Speaker never got to him, adding that it was after the Wednesday’s sitting that the lawmakers saw the letter flying on social media.
He said: “But, even the letter trending on social media was dated March 11. Does it mean that the governor purportedly sent a letter on Tuesday God knows when, and immediately mobilised to the Assembly Quarters on Wednesday morning, claiming he came to present his budget?
“That alone vitiates the claimed purpose. It is procedurally trite that after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for the letter to be acknowledged by the lawmakers, who will then invite him to appear before them and make his presentation. Governor Fubara ought to know this if he is sincere.
“But, all we know is that this Assembly will continue to uphold the rule of law and will remain committed to promoting the interest of Rivers State. We urge him to do the needful so that Rivers people can breathe. He is toying with the lives and livelihood of Rivers people.
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