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APC to Atiku: Get lawyers to plead your case in court

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APC to Atiku: Get lawyers to plead your case in court

… As Police vow to prosecute purveyors of fake news, mischief makers***

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate to get his lawyers to plead his case in court rather than leading a street protest.

Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), gave the advice in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

The statement was the APC PCC’s reaction to an Atiku-led protest organised by PDP members against the outcome of the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly election.

Onanuga also advised Abubakar to respect his age and the high office of the Vice-Presidency of Nigeria he once occupied.

“When the defeated Atiku Abubakar told the whole world last week that he would seek redress in court over the outcome of the election, little did we know that he did not plan to be guided by his own promise.

“Going by his political antecedents, it was rather not surprising that Atiku, days later, led a band of protesters, nay jesters in Abuja, to the Headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“What was on display today by Alhaji Atiku and his motley crowd was a new low from the perennial election loser.

“With Atiku staging a theatre of the absurd, we fail to see how a march to INEC by a scanty crowd will provide any victory window for him and his fragmented PDP,” Onanuga said.

He added that the only recourse open to Atiku after the electoral umpire declared Sen. Bola Tinubu, a former two-term Governor of Lagos State as President-elect, was the Election Petition Tribunal.

Onanuga further added that instead of Atiku and his party to wisely spend their time gathering the so-called evidence they hope to present before the courts,  they were busy dancing on the streets.

He said they were also causing traffic nuisance to residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)who were going to work on a Monday morning.

Onanuga added that the APC PCC does not expect a former Vice-President of Nigeria, a statesman and a presidential candidate to be so jobless as to have time to disturb public peace.

This, he said, was especially over an electoral outcome he had already said he would challenge in court.

“We want to admonish Alhaji Atiku to respect his age and the high office of the Vice-Presidency of Nigeria he once occupied.

“He should stop being teleguided by Dino Melaye, who disclosed scandalously that N400 billion was wasted on the election, which was clear at the outset that Atiku was bound to lose.

“Atiku should avoid being misdirected by other court jesters in his party, who continued to campaign after the election, still spewing their inanities against the President-elect,” Onanuga said.

He described such persons as mere comic characters in a travelling theatre group, saying that INEC headquarters was not a court where the prayers of Atiku could be answered.

Onanuga stressed that no amount of theatrical display would give Atiku and his party succour, adding that the honourable and lawful path to take was for him to get his lawyers to plead his case in court.

“He should stop throwing tantrums like a baby whose candy was taken away over an election he clearly lost due to his own poor judgment.

“Mismanagement of his own party and violation of power rotational arrangement between the North and the South.

“The PDP presidential candidate dug his own grave, in his last election and, absurdly, he is trying to rewrite the script of his own utter failure,” Onanuga said.

He wondered how Atiku and his party hoped to win when he had admitted that Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, his running mate in 2019, ran away with traditional PDP votes from the South-East and South-South.

The APC PCC Director of Media and Publicity said it was preposterous that while Atiku was disturbing public peace, chanting phantom electoral victory, Obi was making the same claim.

“We think both men have embarrassed themselves enough and it is high time they both resolved who between them is the supposed winner that will challenge our party’s victory in court.

“We advise Atiku to retire honourably from politics and move to his abode in Dubai. At 77 in November, Atiku does not have age on his side again.

“He had participated in his last election and hopefully, he had learnt worthy lessons, never to place his selfish interest above party and established principles in his party and the polity,” Onanuga said

In another development, the Police Command in Lagos State has vowed to prosecute fake news purveyors and mischief makers in the state.

This is contained in a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Monday.

According to him, the command is not unaware of malicious, inciting, provocative and seditious content being circulated all over social media with the intent to cause panic, disharmony and unrest within the state.

“The command has begun investigating this scaremongering with a view to apprehending and prosecuting those found culpable.

“The good people and residents of the state are urged to disregard all forms of messages, especially on social media depicting fictitious, fallacious and preposterous claims aimed at jeopardizing the peace currently being enjoyed in the state,” Hundeyin said.

He said that the State Commissioner of Police, CP Idowu Owohunwa, had assured the electorate that the command had fully deployed its human and operational resources in conjunction with sister security agencies to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

“Voters are encouraged to come out to exercise their franchise and not succumb to the panic tactics of a few unpatriotic elements masquerading as concerned and well-intentioned Nigerians on social media.

“It is equally imperative to warn against mischief around the polling units and collation centres and beyond, as anyone found culpable will be promptly arrested and dealt with in accordance with the law,” he said.

The image-maker urged residents to call the police should they notice any untoward happening around them on any of the following emergency numbers: 08127155132, 08065154338, 08063299264, 08039344870. 

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Super Eagles beat hosts Guinea Bissau, to reclaim Group ‘A’ leadership

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Super Eagles beat hosts Guinea Bissau, to reclaim Group 'A' leadership

The Super Eagles on Monday in Bissau beat hosts Guinea Bissau 1-0 to reclaim leadership of Group A in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Moses Simon’s penalty kick after 29 minutes gave the Nigerian senior men’s football team the needed win to move to nine points after four matches.

They have now upstaged from the apex position Guinea Bissau who toppled them on Friday in Abuja with a 1-0 win.

Guinea Bissau is with seven points from four matches and in second place, ahead of Sierra Leone who has five points from four matches.

Nigeria is expected to now face the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone in a Match Day 5 fixture.

 Details later  

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Banking & Finance

NGX: Investors Lose N622bn, as NCR Nigeria, Unity Bank lead Losers’ chart

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NGX: Investors Lose N622bn, as NCR Nigeria, Unity Bank lead Losers’ chart

The domestic stock market on Nigeria Exchange Ltd. (NGX) continued on a negative note as the market capitalisation on Monday dropped by N622 billion amid sustained profit-taking activities.

Accordingly, investors lost N622 billion in value as market capitalisation declined to  N29.281 trillion from N29.903 trillion recorded at the previous session.

The All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 1,141.76 points, representing a decline of 2.08 percent, to close at 53,750.77 points as against the 54,892.53 posted on Friday.

Consequently, the ASI’s year-to-date (YTD) return fell to 4.88 percent.

The downturn was impacted by losses recorded in large and medium capitalised stocks, amongst which are; Airtel Africa, Seplat Energy, MTN Nigeria Communications (MTNN), Nigerian Breweries and Lafarge Africa.

“We expect risk-on sentiments to be sustained in the equities markets even as the depressed interest rate environment will continue to favour the local bourse in line with our expectations for Q1, 2023.

“Taking positions in stocks with solid valuations and dividend yields ahead of the dividend-paying season remains the choice strategy.

“However, we see room for extended profit-taking activities,” Analysts at United Capital Plc said.

The market breadth was negative as 21 stocks lost relative to five gainers.

Courteville Business Solutions recorded the highest price gain of 6.67 percent to close at 48k per share.

NPF Microfinance Bank followed with a gain of 2.7 percent to close at N1.90 and AIICO Insurance up by 1.75 percent to close at 58k per share.

FBN Holdings (FBNH) rose by 0.92 percent to close at N11, while Zenith Bank gained 0. 2 percent to close at N25 per share.

Conversely, NCR Nigeria led the losers’ chart by 9.79 percent to close at N2.12, per share.

Unity Bank followed with a decline of 9.43 percent to close at 48k, while Prestige Assurance declined by 8.89 percent to close at 41k, per share.

SUNU Assurance declined 8.33 percent to close at 44k, while Multiverse Mining and Exploration and Airtel Africa shed 8.31 percent each to close at N2.98 and N1,420 respectively per share.

Also, the total volume traded decreased by 26.66 percent to 100.883 million units, valued at N4.342 billion and exchanged in 3,279 deals.

Transactions in the shares of Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) topped the activity chart with 12.836 million shares valued at N318.513 million.

Zenith Bank followed with 11.920 million shares worth N297.982 million, while United Bank for Africa (UBA) traded 10.038 million shares valued at N80.242 million.

MTNN traded 8.264 million shares valued at N1.927 billion, while FBNH transacted 7.719 million shares worth N84.577.

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MARITIME SAFETY: NIMASA, NCC Close Ranks On Submarine Cable Regulation In Nigeria

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MARITIME SAFETY: NIMASA, NCC Close Ranks On Submarine Cable Regulation In Nigeria

…Jamoh reiterates  commitment to Ease of Doing Business 

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have agreed to work closely with relevant stakeholders as the Agency inches closer to developing a regulatory framework to provide operational guidelines for Submarine Cable and Pipeline Operators in Nigeria. 

Officials of both organs of Government in Lagos reached this agreement at a pre Audit meeting on submarine cable regulation.

The Director General of NIMASA Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR, who chaired the meeting, which also had the Director General of Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Mr. Dasuki Arabi in attendance, noted that the Agency is committed to the Ease of doing Business while implementing International Conventions which Nigeria has ratified and domesticated. 

He noted that with Nigeria now a destination for global communication players, the time has come to prevent unregulated underwater cable laying, which might become hazardous to shipping.

According to him, “It is worthy to note that marine cable laying has been ongoing for over two decades in Nigerian waters. Our focus is to ensure safety of navigation of shipping in Nigerian waters with all these underwater cables being laid.

NIMASA is actually developing the guidelines to regulate submarine cable operators in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS; which we have ratified and NIMASA is the Agency of Government in Nigeria responsible for its implementation. We do not just implement laws; we consult. Where the responsibility of an Agency stops, that is where the responsibilities of another Agency start. Collaboration is a key component of ease of doing business in the best interest of the country and we will work closely with the NCC to achieve this”.

On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta who was represented by the Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Efosa Idehen noted that the stakeholders’ dialogue strategy adopted by NIMASA in developing the guidelines would ensure a win-win situation urging NIMASA management to include the Ministry of Justice, a request NIMASA DG immediately granted.

Also speaking at the meeting was the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms Mr. Dasuki Arabi, who commended NIMASA and NCC for adopting effective Inter-Agency collaboration to avert a potential challenge for the country in the future.

NIMASA had notified submarine and cable operators in Nigeria of a soon-to-be-implemented regulatory guideline for submarine cables and pipelines in Nigeria, in line with the provisions of UNCLOS. NIMASA and the NCC agreed to identify and resolve areas of likely regulatory overlaps, ensuring a regulatory framework based on consultation to engender the attainment of Nigeria’s digital economy transformation.

Officials of the Federal Ministry of Environment and representatives of Submarine Cable operators in Nigeria were also at the meeting.

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