Atiku Is Giving False Hope To His Funders, Supporters – Presidency

The Presidency has responded to the new evidence filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, against President Bola Tinubu at the Supreme Court.

Recall that Atiku presented the academic records of President Tinubu as new evidence for consideration in his appeal against the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court.

Speaking with The Punch on the issue, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, accused Atiku of misinforming the public out of desperation and selling lies to galvanize his base.

He said by ignoring last Tuesday’s deposition by the Registrar of Chicago State University, Caleb Westberg, Atiku is selling false hope to his funders and supporters, who are still disappointed in him for losing the February polls.

He said: “What Atiku is doing is simply misinformation out of desperation. He is selling a lie to galvanize his base. He is giving false hope to his funders and supporters.

“We know that he got support from different entities from within and outside Nigeria for his election, and he gave them false hope that he was winning the election.

“Most of his (Abubakar) supporters are disappointed in him that they wasted their money and efforts on him.

“So he’s trying to give those people false hope that he has a chance at the courts. If not, how can he give a different meaning to a deposition to any educated person can understand?

“We’re in the age of alternative truth where people only want to believe the lies they want to believe. And there’s nothing we can do about that. So, Atiku can psyche himself up by giving a psychic victory over nothing. He went to America on a voyage of discovery and came back with nothing.”

He added: “After all, he won’t be the one to decide his own case.

“In fact, just last week, the CJN said the court will not decide tonight on the basis of public opinion but based on the law.

NYSC Certificate Tinubu Submitted To INEC Carries Adekunle, Not Ahmed — Atiku’s Counsel

 

Counsel to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Kalu Kalu, on Thursday has revealed the discrepancy in the name written on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Kalu who spoke on Thursday at a press conference organised by Abubakar in Abuja said the name on the NYSC certificate submitted by the President to the electoral body is Bola Adekunle Tinubu, not Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

His words: “The Chicago State University admission application form has a claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended Government College, Lagos, and graduated in 1970 when indeed the school was established in 1974.

“The same document has it that the owner of that document is a black American, and then the document Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to INEC, he denied having dual citizenship, which means it does not belong to him.“Then, the same document under deposition says that the ‘A’ — Bola A. Tinubu is Ahmed, but the NYSC certificate Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to INEC has Adekunle.”

Kalu also claimed that findings from the deposition at the court showed that the President forged the certificates he presented to INEC.

“That the qualifying certificate from the South-west College to Chicago State University bears a female, indicating that, that document does not belong to Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

Abubakar is challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 poll and the tribunal’s judgement that upheld the president’s victory on September 6.

The PDP candidate has consistently alleged that Tinubu’s educational records are fraught with discrepancies and forgeries.

We Can’t Experience Economic Freedom In Africa If Quality Leadership Is Absent — Ezekwesili

 

Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, on Thursday submitted that Africa cannot achieve economic development if poor governance continues in the continent.

Ezekwesili who spoke during the graduation ceremony of Class of 2023 School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) in Abuja as its founder called for urgent structural transformation of African politics by leaders of thought across governments, private sector and civil society organisations.

While noting that democracy must come with political freedom, Ezekwesili said the rule of law is the cornerstone of economic freedom.

She said: “As you listen to our brothers and sisters from various countries on the continent, you can see that it is a common denominator for Africans to mourn the absence of quality leadership.

“Africa has chosen the path of democracy and if we look at historical numbers, more countries that have enjoyed prosperity have come through the democratic path.

“So, democracy is a very important thing because democracy comes with political freedom.

“With political freedom, there is a rule of law, and that rule of law is the cornerstone of economic freedom. It is economic freedom that leads to the proliferation of ideas, innovations and creativity.

“Competitiveness and productivity are all based on empirical data. So, if we know all those things as evidence abounds, we cannot then sit back and hope that somehow change will come.

“So, if Africans need to transform our politics and we just sit back as citizens, hoping that those who have entrenched poor governance as a matter of political culture will someday fall in the kind of Apostle Paul and have a Damascus experience we will wait forever and that that is not something that this generation should do.”

Afe Babalola Accuses Governors Of Stealing Council Funds

 

Founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) has revealed that state governors in Nigeria are misappropriating funds allocated to them.

He accused the governors of misapplying financial allocations to local governments in their domains.

Babalola made this known yesterday in the state’s capital, while declaring open the eighth edition of the Afe Babalola Agricultural Expo.

He lamented that the ‘inactions’ of the governors were limiting the development at the grassroots as well as depriving the people of the benefits that they should access without stress.

The legal icon expressed displeasure with the way governors run the third tier of government.

He said the governors have made the local governments the appendages of the state government, thereby rendering them ineffective.

He subsequently called on President Bola Tinubu to send the local government their allocations directly from the Federation Account.

Babalola explained that this would lead to grassroots development and enhance transparency.

He said: “I am suggesting that local governments should be empowered. Each local government should set up farming equipment for farmers to hire. They should also earmark large hectares of land for the farmers to farm.

“When I was a councillor in those days, local government funds used to come directly to them. We all know what has been happening to their money.

“I think the current President (Bola Tinubu) should do all he can to ensure that local government allocations get to them directly and not through the governors because they (governors) steal a lot.

“There is no parent that will send their children to school – some to Master’s and Ph.D levels – only to come back and be asked to use cutlass to farm.

“The best the government can do now to revive agriculture is to buy modern implements to encourage people to farm. If local government funds get to them, they will be able to buy tractors for the people to rent.”

‘Tinubu’s CSU Certificate Not Fake, You Can Only Forge What You Don’t Have’ – Presidency

 

The Presidency on Wednesday doubled down on its claim that the certificate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was valid.

Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, who made this known via X also posited that the Chicago State University (CSU) confirmed that the president didn’t submit a fake result to INEC.

Ajayi noted that CSU affirmed under oath that Tinubu attended and graduated from the institution and that the school does not handle replacements for lost certificates.

“We should be clear.

“In the deposition made by the Chicago State University, there was nowhere the University said the certificate presented to INEC by President Tinubu is fake. The University insisted under oath that President Tinubu graduated with honours and even at that, replacements for lost certificates are done by vendors not the University.

“The claim that President Tinubu submitted fake certificate to INEC does not make sense. A man can not forge the academic records he possesses. You can only forge what you don’t have.”

Following petition by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, CSU had released Tinubu’s academic records on orders of the court.

Atiku had requested the documents to back his allegation of forgery against Tinubu.

House Of Reps. Move To Retrieve N10trn Pension Fund Loaned To FG

 

 

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday resolved to recover N10 trillion pension funds “borrowed” by the Federal Government.

After the adoption of a motion sponsored by Aliyu Misau, lawmaker representing the Misau/Dambam federal constituency of Bauchi, the resolution was passed during plenary.

While moving the motion, Misau said most pensioners are unable to access their retirement funds despite complying with the requirements of the contributory pension scheme.

According to him, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) have not been able to ensure prompt payment of pensioners’ entitlements.

The legislator noted that the N10 trillion pension funds borrowed by the federal government have exposed the contributors to “unnecessary volatility.”

“The pension fund assets which PenCom regulates, being the proceeds of the contributory pension scheme and returns on investment, stood at more than N15.5 trillion as at the close of the first quarter of 2023, hence there is no justification for retirees not to have access to their RSA.

“Critical stakeholders have expressed concern that 65 percent of the pension funds (N10 trillion) loaned to the federal government is an investment which exposes the contributors to unnecessary volatility as the federal government may fail to pay back the loan in due time,” he said.

Misau added that the inability of the pensioners to access their funds has caused “untold hardship to the retirees” as they are unable to afford “even basic necessities.”

The motion was however adopted when it was put to a voice vote by Ben Kalu, Deputy Speaker, who presided over the plenary.

The House subsequently asked PenCom to ensure the “immediate” release of funds for the payment of pensions to all retirees.

The green chamber also mandated the committee on pensions to “scrutinise” the failure of PFAs in “fulfilling their obligations to retirees” in accessing retirement savings.

‘I Collapsed Due To Exhaustion, I’m Alright Now’ — Ministarial Nominee, Balarabe

 

Ministerial nominee, Balarabe Lawal, confirmed as Minister by the Senate on Wednesday has spoken on his collapse during screening.

Recall that Lawal, a native of Kaduna State, was screened alongside fellow nominees, Jamila Ibrahim (Kwara) and Ayodele Olawande (Ondo), to join 45 ministers previously approved by the Red Chamber in August.

The screening followed President Bola Tinubu’s letter to the Senate read on the floor of the legislative chamber on Tuesday, seeking its confirmation of the nominees.

As the screening went on, things took a dramatic turn when Lawal – the second to be called up after Ibrahim – collapsed after only concluding his introduction, causing several people present to rush to his aid.

Lawal said his sudden collapse during the exercise at the Senate was as a result of exhaustion and that he is “alright now”.

“I’m alright now. I’ve been treated and I’m alright now. It was basically exhaustion,” he told journalists.

While the Kaduna native was unable to take questions due to the incident, his nomination was confirmed alongside his fellow nominees

Constitution Must Supersede Public Opinion — CJN To New Judges

 

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, says public opinion no matter how serious or weighty it may be, cannot override the superiority of the country’s constitution.

Addressing 22 newly sworn-in judges of the Federal High Court on Wednesday, the CJN said the constitution must be considered in deciding each case brought before them.

Ariwoola said: “Several vitriolic attacks are regularly heaped on the judiciary; it is, however, crystal clear that public opinion, no matter how serious or weighty it might be, cannot override or supersede the Constitution of the country which we apply in deciding each case.

“Nevertheless, your Lordships still owe your conscience and the generality of the Nigerian masses, particularly those who are looking up to you, the great responsibility of good moral rectitude and acceptable conduct to uphold and consolidate the trust reposed in you.

“Like it is often said, a clear conscience fears no accusation. He who comes to equity, as we all say, must come with clean hands.

“So, your Lordships must severe ties with anything that will smear your hands and bring you into disrepute in the course of your new assignment.

“Like I always say, even though judicial officers are not spirits or superhuman beings, so much impossible things are yet expected from them by society.”

He furthered that the “bench is neither for the indolent, the greedy nor those with dubious character, who can easily fall for a plate of porridge offered by desperate litigants.

“You must, at all times, rise above temptations and trials that might obstruct or even halt your rise to the pinnacle of your career.

“We are all humans, no doubt, but you display the humanism in you by doing those extraordinary things that people would ordinarily conclude that you cannot do.

“That is what separates those with integrity and passion for success from those with low pedigree and dysfunctional moral compass.”

The CJN noted that the National Judicial Council (NJC) is fully active in disciplining errant judicial officers.

“The searchlight of the National Judicial Council beams brightly on all judicial officers across the country.

“The NJC should never, either by omission or commission, be mistaken for a toothless bulldog. It can bark fiercely and as well bite deeply and aggressively too.

“Our radar is sophisticated enough to detect every form of corruption and wrongdoing by Judicial officers, and we will not waste a moment in taking the necessary action to fish out the bad eggs.

“The remoteness of your location of adjudication can never blur our sight on you. We have put in place the right machinery to capture and document your conduct.

“So, be careful and take heed, or else, you may end up regretting ever being appointed a judicial officer. Though, we don’t wish you such, anyway!” he added.

Reports That Tourism Minister Was Poisoned Are False – FG

 

Emem Mariam Offiong, Assistant Director, Press, Federal Ministry of Tourism, has dismissed reports of an alleged poisoning of the Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John.

While speaking in a chat with Leadership on Tuesday, Offiong dismissed the news as false.

Urging Nigerians not to lend credence to such rumours, she said: “The news is fake. It is not true that the minister was poisoned.

Recall that Peoples Gazette had claimed that Ade-John, recently appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been reportedly hospitalised in the nation’s capital, Abuja, over poisoning and was undergoing treatment at the Federal Medical Centre in Jabi, Abuja.

The platform at the time had said her family members feared time was running against their efforts to save her life.

The specifics of what substance she ingested and how could not be immediately established as sources disclosed that she has been on a machine to aid her breathing.

However, it was alleged that the family of the Minister and the Ministry are at loggerheads over where she should be treated.

Fake Employment Letters Were Issued To Civil Servants In Plateau — Committee

 

A committee set up by Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang has revealed that fake employment letters were issued in the state’s civil service, prior to the assumption of office of his administration.

The 15-member committee was constituted on July 26 to review the last recruitment exercise conducted by the preceding administration.

“Some fake employment letters were issued to some employees,” Chairman of the Committee, Ishaya Agaldo, said as he presented report to the Governor in Jos on Tuesday.

According to him, the State’s Civil Service Commission was able to detect some of the anomalies and discovered that some reporting and acceptance dates preceded the employment dates.

Agaldo explained that the Committee also uncovered irregularities which involved recruitment of people into some positions without requisite qualifications.

“Some Third Class degree holders were employed to teach in tertiary institutions,’’ he said.

He stressed that the Civil Service Commission was not involved in the exercise and due process was not followed in most Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), where some exceeded their employment limits.

“Some employees were paid even without variation order.

“There were so many irregularities in documentation due to the hurried nature of the employment exercise.

“There was an uneven spread across the 17 Local Government Areas,” Agaldo said.

He added that the committee discovered that employment of ad-hoc staff was grossly abused and slots shared to certain groups and individuals.

The committee recommended a review of the exercise to ensure compliance with due process with the exemption of MDAs that complied with civil service regulations.

Also, the committee recommended that employment into the State’s service should be conducted on regular basis adopting equity and fairness and in adherence with stipulated guidelines.

The committee also recommended reforms in the civil service to reposition it in its performance.

It recommended the digitalisation of information systems in MDAs to ensure access to information and smooth operations.

Responding, Mutfwang thanked the committee for its dedication and quality of job in spite of receipt of threats from individuals and interest groups in the matter.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, the governor said affected MDAs would be reviewed and a White Paper drafting committee would be inaugurated in line with the 15-member committee’s findings.

“I assure you that within this week we are going to inaugurate a White Paper drafting committee that we would hand over the report to and it will do justice to it,” he said.

He decried irregularities uncovered and said the administration was determined to reposition Plateau into comity of top 10 States in the country.

“We want to take Plateau to a higher level and to do that, we have to make it count, particularly its civil service, which is the engine room of governance in any government,” he said.

Mutfwang however suspended last- minute appointments into the State’s civil service by the immediate past administration led by former Governor Simon Lalong because of identified irregularities.

Gov. Otti Calls For Arrest Of Those Accusing Him Of Sponsoring IPOB, Peter Obi’s Tribunal Petition

 

The Abia State Government says claims that it’s sponsoring the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to cause upheaval in the South-East State are utterly false.

The administration also refuted the reports that the State Governor, Alex Otti was funding the litigation of the 2023 Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, with the State’s funds.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Government accused opposition parties in the state who were defeated in the last election, of hiring elements to cause discontent and disaffection among people in the state.

“The attention of Abia State government has been drawn to videos arising from two press briefings conducted by individuals suspected to have been hired by opposition elements who were roundly defeated in the last Governorship election in Abia state.

“Because these allegations are weighty and have the propensity to cause disaffection, insecurity, breakdown of law and order, and even endanger the lives and property of innocent citizens, we strongly and most respectfully make the following demands and submissions:

“That His Excellency the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), the Chief of Army Staff, the National Security Adviser and the Inspector General of Police should kindly use their good offices to cause immediate and thorough investigation into these allegations.

“That the young men who organised these press conferences should be invited by security agencies to come and throw more light on their allegations to enable law enforcement agents to carry out thorough investigations that could lead to the arrest of culprits.

“That Governor Alex Otti’s position as Governor of Abia State is a product of a nationally celebrated Governorship election victory, hence, we consider it a demeaning insult and provocative blackmail for a group of greedy hatchet men with zero stakes in the Abia project to sit behind the microphone and spew gibberish that lowers the office of the Governor of Abia State while insulting the sensibilities of our people who have heaved a sigh of relief since the emergence of Governor Alex Otti.

“The hate, anger, bitterness and the trademark of terror contained in the text of the press conference and on the facial expression of the accusers showed a despicable design to subject the government and people of Abia State to public opprobrium.

“The two opposition parties that are in court against Governor Otti and who are suspected to be the brains behind these allegations know very well that they have terrible cases and that their suits would be thrown into the thrash bin on the 6th of October, hence the resort to this panic and desperate strategy of deceit and destabilisation,” the statement read.

The release urged security agencies to expose and punish those who hired the elements for choosing to advance their selfish interest against the genuine interest of Abia people