The recent Abia State High Court judgement compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hand over New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) management to its Board of Trustees (BoT) is being celebrated by the founder of the party, Dr. Boniface Okechwuku Aniebonam and other founding members of the party.

Addressing a world press conference at the NAGAFF Headquarters/NNPP Annex Office in Apapa, Lagos on Tuesday, the founder described as worrisome the activities of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his Kwankwassiya group’s men, mentioning one Barr. Ladipo Johnsen whom he noted, has moved from one media house to another, allegedly misrepresenting the fact before Nigerians on the political terrain, since the groundbreaking judgement was delivered last week. 

He declared that the party is now safely in the hands of its BOT and so, characters like Senator Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima, and Ladipo Johnson, long expelled from the party before the judgement, cannot speak for NNPP but for their Kwankwassiya group which was part of the party before the 2023 elections but have long exited after the election as repeatedly explained to the media in the past. 

Aniebonam expressed curiosity about the development a week ago when the news of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Buba Galadima withdrawing their case in Kano State High Court against Dr. Aniebonam and other legitimate members of the party broke out. 

He noted that the case was allegedly targeted at rewarding him with embarrassment, despite the level of benevolence extended to them in his country home in Umuawulu in 2022 when they came to ask for his assistance to use the party platform for the 2023 general elections, a request he granted without any financial consideration or commitment on the side of his guests but instead, he donated money for operational take-off. 

Aniebonam bemoaned the level of ill-advice Kwankwaso has been getting from questionable characters around him who lack competence in their chosen endeavours. 

“They choose to stay around the man to enable them to service their stomachs instead of going to practice their trade if they have any,” he said. 

Explaining some salient facts about the law, the founder stated that a Federal high court and a State high court are both courts of coordinated jurisdiction even as an extant judgment prevails ahead of any old judgement on the same subject matter.

He further explained that no matter how fraudulent a judgement might be (as presently alleged by Barr. Ladipo Jonhson), one needed to vacate such order/judgement directly or through an appellate court.

He wondered if Barr. Ladipo Johnson representing Senator Kwankwasso and Buba Galadima cannot differentiate between a declaratory judgement and an executionary order or judgement of court. 

“As a lawyer, does it mean that Barr? Ladipo Johnson does not know that unless this compelling order is vacated in the appeal court and or Supreme Court Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima and the entire officers of the party have been dissolved and sacked.

“Barr. Ladipo Johnson should be told that a stay of execution order does not apply to declaratory judgements of a high court. 

“Barr. Ladipo Johnson needs to be told that a declaratory judgment may not need service noting that the subject matter is INEC’s inability to exercise its authority in the administration and management of statutory functions as it relates to the regulation of political parties and their activities. Indeed the compelling order is for INEC to exercise its authority of regulation and control of political parties in Nigeria under the law. 

“Therefore, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima and the entire defunct and puppet NWC members of the Kwankwassiya group masquerading as NNPP are inconsequential under the present circumstances and the law,” Aniebonam highlighted. 

He reminded Barr. Ladipo Johnson that INEC was in court to defend itself before the ruling and judgement were pronounced. 

“It is therefore trite to note that under the circumstances the actions of Barr. Ladipo Johnson. representing Senator Kwankwaso and Buba Galadima amounts to contempt of court. We will therefore approach the court to draw their attention to this as soon as possible,” he said. 

The founder sincerely advised that instead of all the noise in the air space, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Buba Galadima should approach the appeal court and seek intervention, if he has the locus. 

He threw the following pertinent questions to Kwankwaso and Galadima; 

“Are they appealing against the judgement delivered by a competent court or what? If yes, then why call the integrity of a competent court of law into question?

“Are they appealing that the NNPP belong to them or what or that the certificate of registration of NNPP is with them or what? 

“It is most unfortunate that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as a former Minister of Defence, two times governor of Kano state and indeed a supposed wise man of the national assembly could degenerate to this level. 

“It is indeed very shameful noting that Kano state has now ceased to be a model to be looked upon in modern-day administration and good governance. This was never the expectation of our great party in return for the whelming support the good people of the state gave us. 

“We believe that thereafter, twenty-four hours of this compelling order INEC should by now invite the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party following the orders of the court to amend their records,” he stated

Aniebonam announced that the Board shall be meeting on the 8th of Nov 2024 to take specific decisions in accordance with the compelling order/judgement of the court. 

Appealing to all members of the party to remain calm and law-abiding in the face of extreme provocations of the Kwankwassiya agents led by Barr. Ladipo assured that as children of God, victory is sure for the party.

 Aniebonam enjoined all the elected senators, honourable members of the Federal House of Representatives and State Assembly under the canopy of the party to come to Lagos and take their party, saying that they are the pride and face of NNPP.

…As Arab World Leaders Congratulate Trump On Victory

Congratulations for Donald Trump poured in early on Wednesday following his victory over his challenger, Democrat Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential polls.

“Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine, with respect and ambition.

“For more peace and prosperity, French President“, Emmanuel Macron, wrote on social media platform X.

“Congratulations to Donald Trump on his election victory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on the platform X.

“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” he added.

“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together,” Zelensky wrote.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also added his congratulations.

“For a long time, Germany and the U.S. have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens,” the chancellor wrote on X.

Earlier, Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone about the election outcome.

A German government spokesman said the two European leaders had agreed to coordinate closely with each other.

“We will work in this new context for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe.

“In cooperation with the U.S. and defending our interests and values,’’ Macron wrote on X after the conversation.

The mood was ebullient out of Moscow, which has led a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than two and a half years, with no end in sight.

“Hallelujah, wrote Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, on her Telegram channel, noting that the election winner was the one who loved his own country.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who now sits on the Russian Security Council, said Trump has an important quality for Russia.

“As a businessman to the core, he cannot stand spending money on various minions and lackeys on idiotic allies, on stupid charity projects and gluttonous international organisations.’’

He said it was a sad day for the scum in Kiev, in a post on Telegram.

Newly appointed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, whose alliance has a key role in the war on Ukraine, congratulated Trump on X.

“His leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong,’’ Rutte added.

The conservative broadcaster Fox News had already declared Republican candidate Trump the overall winner against Democrat Kamala Harris, but other media networks and U.S. news agency AP had not done so.

Trump declared himself the winner in a speech to supporters in Florida.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz added his congratulations.

“For a long time, Germany and the U.S. have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens,” the chancellor wrote on X.

Earlier, Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone about the election outcome.

A German government spokesman said the two European leaders had agreed to coordinate closely with each other.

“We will work in this new context for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe.

In cooperation with the U.S. and defending our interests and values,’’ Macron wrote on X after the conversation.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to working with the presumptive 47th president of the U.S. on a strong trans-Atlantic agenda that delivers for their people.

Von der Leyen said the European Union and the United States “are more than just allies,” bound by a “shared history, commitment to freedom and democracy, and common goals of security and opportunity for all.”

“Millions of jobs and billions in trade and investment on each side of the Atlantic depend on the dynamism and stability of our economic relationship,” she added.

Outgoing European Council President Charles Michel, meanwhile, said the EU looked forward to cooperating constructively with the US, while “defending the rules-based multilateral system.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK-US special relationship would “continue to prosper” following Donald Trump’s “historic election victory,” the PA news agency reported.

Congratulations also came from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the strategic connections between their two countries would now become even stronger.

“Good luck with your work, president!” the far-right prime minister added.

“Congratulations, Mr President … You made it happen!” Poland’s conservative nationalist president, Andrzej Duda, posted on X.

Dutch right-wing populist politician Geert Wilders, a declared Trump supporter who won the election in the Netherlands almost a year ago, joined in the chorus.

“Congratulations America! Never stop, always keep fighting and win elections!” Wilders wrote on X before the official result was announced.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “history’s greatest comeback.”

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his “friend” Donald Trump had won the presidential election after a “great struggle.”

China, meanwhile, was more cautious in its response. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the election was a domestic affair that Beijing would handle as usual once the results are officially announced. 

In a related development, leaders and monarchs across the Arab world have praised Donald Trump on his election victory amid uncertainty about how his presidency will impact the conflict in the Middle East.

Donald Trump, 78, recaptured the White House on Wednesday by securing more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency.

Edison Research projected, following a campaign of dark rhetoric that deepened the polarisation in the country.

Trump was elected president, capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House and ushering in a new American leadership likely to test democratic institutions at home and relations abroad.

The former president’s victory in the swing state of Wisconsin pushed him over the threshold.

“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump said early on Wednesday to a roaring crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Centre in Florida.

Trump’s political career appeared to be over after his false claims of election fraud led a mob of supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed bid to overturn his 2020 defeat.

However, he swept away challengers inside his Republican Party and then beat Democratic candidate Kamala Harris by capitalising on voter concerns about high prices and what Trump claimed, without evidence, was a rise in crime due to illegal immigration.

Harris did not speak to supporters who had gathered at her alma mater Howard University. Her campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, briefly addressed the crowd after midnight, saying Harris would speak publicly later on Wednesday.

“We still have votes to count,” he said.

Republicans won a U.S. Senate majority, but neither party appeared to have an edge in the fight for control of the House of Representatives where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority.

Voters identified jobs and the economy as the country’s most pressing problem, according to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls.

Many Americans remained frustrated by higher prices even amid record-high stock markets, fast-growing wages and low unemployment.

With the administration of President Joe Biden taking much of the blame, a majority of voters said they trusted Trump more than Harris to address the issue.

Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and lower-income households hit hardest by inflation helped fuel Trump’s election victory.

His loyal base of rural, white and non-college-educated voters again showed up in force.

Trump prevailed despite persistently low approval ratings. Impeached twice, he has been criminally indicted four times and found civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

In May, Trump was convicted by a New York jury of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star.

His victory will have major implications for U.S. trade and climate change policies, the war in Ukraine, Americans’ taxes and immigration.

His tariff proposals could spark a fiercer trade war with China and U.S. allies, while his pledges to reduce corporate taxes and implement a spate of new cuts could balloon U.S. debt, economists say.

Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation campaign targeting immigrants in the country illegally.

He has said he wants the authority to fire civil servants he views as disloyal. His opponents fear he will turn the Justice Department and other federal law enforcement agencies into political weapons to investigate perceived enemies.

A second Trump presidency could drive a bigger wedge between Democrats and Republicans on issues such as race, gender, what and how children are taught, and reproductive rights.

Trump has vowed to reshape the executive branch, including firing civil servants he views as disloyal and using federal law enforcement agencies to investigate his political enemies, violating what has been a longstanding policy of keeping such agencies independent.

During his first term, Trump’s most extreme demands were sometimes stymied by his cabinet members, most notably when Vice President Mike Pence refused to block Congress from accepting the 2020 election results.

Once the 2024 vote is certified by Congress on Jan. 6, Trump and his vice president, U.S. Senator JD Vance, are due to take office on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

Throughout his two-year-long campaign, Trump has signalled he will prioritise personal fealty in staffing his administration.

He promised roles in his administration to Musk and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., both avid supporters. 

Reuters