Tinubu Violated the Grundnorm of Nigeria’s Electoral Laws, Says Atiku 

·      Fawehinmi’s soul can now rest in peace

·      Says political relationship with president broke down in 2007

·      Kalu: there’s no question; certificate with INEC is forged

·      Your desperation is unbecoming, APC replies ex-VP

·      Labour Party welcomes Atiku’s invitation to Obi

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 general election, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, declared that President Bola Tinubu had serially violated the basic norm that underpinned Nigeria’s electoral laws by presenting fake documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Atiku made the assertion in Abuja while addressing a world press conference on the outcome of the deposition by Chicago State University (CSU) on Tinubu’s academic records.

The former vice president said with his successful effort to unravel Tinubu, the soul of the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, who sustained the struggle for a just society till he passed on, could now rest in peace.

He also cleared the air about his relationship with Tinubu, saying it broke down since 2007, and he had since stopped doing contracts with the government for obvious reasons.

Atiku invited fellow contestants in the last presidential election, particularly Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), to join his campaign “to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness” in Nigeria’s government and politics.

LP welcomed the invitation, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.

One of Atiku’s lawyers, Kalu Kalu, who was asked to shed more light on some aspects of the deposition by the registrar at CSU, Caleb Westberg, said the certificate presented to INEC by Tinubu was undoubtedly fake.

Westberg’s testimony in a United States court, in a suit by Atiku, is the basis of the latest unravelling of the decades-old mystery behind Tinubu’s academic qualification.    

However, the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) accused Atiku of acting in desperation, describing the alleged extreme behaviour as unbecoming of a statesman, who once occupied the second highest office in the land.

Addressing the world press conference, Atiku said, “Our elections are established and governed by law and founded on the constitution from which leadership and government in Nigeria alone derive their legitimacy.”

He stressed, “The people look up to us as leaders to respect these rules and, where necessary, to defend them. This is what brings us here. We undertook this journey at great cost and for important reasons. The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere.

“I am a democrat by conviction and a citizen of a country that I love. The issues at stake in this case require us once more to re-dedicate ourselves to both the country and our constitution. Now, we entrust these facts to us all as citizens and as leaders of the institutions charged with interpreting our constitution.

“I should thank the lawyers both in Nigeria and in the United States, who have assisted us in bringing clarity and definitive answers to these issues that appear to have defied our institutions for nearly a quarter of a century.

“I also want to extend my gratitude to Nigerian citizens and friends of Nigeria both within and beyond the shores of our country for their patience as we have sought to find the facts and establish the truth.”

Atiku said of Fawehinmi and other justice advocates, including the media, “I wish to pay tribute to the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, who inspired us on this path of discovery. Now, he can truly rest in peace in the assurance that what he started about 23 years ago has come to fruition.

“Gani’s vindication today gives credence to the saying that no matter how fast a lie runs, the truth will someday overtake it. Former American President Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the latter.’

“From exposing the Watergate scandal and unravelling the dubious certificates of politicians, journalists have maintained eternal vigilance by bridging the gap and stepping in when other arms of government failed. It is for these reasons that commendation must be given to David Hundeyin, an independent journalist, whose extraordinary work, and those of many more young people like him, has become a source of inspiration.

“Special thanks must be given to the millions of Nigerian youths and citizen journalists, too, who continue to put out the truth online even when no one is listening. Indeed, the price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance. They have put the country first in their firm commitment to unravel the truth and hold leaders accountable. This gives me the hope that we have worthy partners in the struggle to reclaim the country we call home.

“This quest is not for or about Atiku Abubakar. It is a quest for the enthronement of truth, morality, and accountability in our public affairs.”

Atiku also held out the olive branch to others who contested the presidential poll with him, saying, “In line with this, therefore, I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, leaders of thought, our religious leaders, our traditional leaders, our community leaders, our political leaders, and in particular, Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP and, the leaders of every political party in Nigeria, and, indeed, every single person who loves this country, as I do, and who wishes nothing but the best for the country, as I do, to join me in this campaign to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness in our country and in our government. This is a task for each and every one of us.”

The PDP presidential candidate stated, “Political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are ways through which we all work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As leaders, it is our duty to advance the well-being of all our people and of the country.”

He said it was, “For this purpose, my generation worked hard to return the soldiers to the barracks and to defend the right of the people to elect and establish for ourselves a legitimate government.

“Today, we are called upon again as a people to uphold and defend the ground rules of elective government in our country. The constitution prescribes the requirements for those who seek the highest elective office in the land.

“It should not take months or, indeed, decades, for the institutions concerned to be able to do their work in establishing the credibility of any certificates presented by candidates for public office.”

Fielding questions on his political relationship with Tinubu, and if the CSU controversy would not affect their future relationship, Atiku said, “I beg to disagree with Tinubu. Yes, it is true in 2007 we came together and I emerged the winner and became the presidential candidate of the Action Congress at the convention in Lagos and got the ticket.

“He sent about five or six seniors, and some of them are here. They met me and said Tinubu wanted to be my running mate and I said that you are all old enough, what will be your reaction to have Muslim-Muslim ticket and they all objected to it and I said, then, why did you come to me. And that was the end of our political relationship.

“In 2003, the PDP took over all western states and I told Obasanjo should leave Lagos for him. So, who is betraying who? And till today, I will not do Muslim-Muslim ticket. We are multi-ethnic and our government should reflect that.”

The former vice president explained how his businesses were unjustly revoked by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He added that he had relinquished all his interest in Intel Logistics and, “I don’t do any government contract any longer.”

He explained further, “As you must have read in many places, I was the founder of one of the biggest logistics companies since the military era, and as soon as Buhari came, even though we had licenses and we had nothing to do with government. We are just contractors to the oil companies.

“As soon as Buhari came, all those contracts were revoked and taken away from us till today, so I am not doing any government business.

“Yes, I am in other businesses – agriculture, manufacturing and so and so forth. So, I am not scared of any business being taken away from me, it has already been taken away from me since the Buhari administration. They took it and distributed out among themselves.”

Asked if he was under pressure, he said, “Not really. Yes, immediately after the election, I was told there was a delegation of governors, who claimed they were sent by the president, but I did not allow them to get into my house. I did not.”

Speaking on when he might likely drop the fight with Tinubu, he said, “I will only drop the fight when the court rules, if the court rules that I am right, if the court rules that he is right, that is the end of the fight. At the moment, we are at the Supreme Court and there is no any higher court than the Supreme Court.”

Kalu: What CSU Said of Tinubu Documents

One of Atiku Abubakar’s lawyers, Mr. Kalu Kalu, yesterday, gave more insight into the technical aspects of the documents deposited to by Chicago State University (CSU) on President Bola Tinubu’s academic records.

When called upon by Atiku to present the technical aspects of the CSU documents, he said, “On the certificate issue, Tinubu forged the certificate he presented to INEC.

“The qualifying certificate to CSU bears a female, meaning it does not belong to President Tinubu. The certificate is of a black American and it, therefore, means that it is of a dual citizen of United States and Nigeria

“The certificate bears a claim that he attended a Lagos government college and graduated in 1970, when the school started or was established in 1974. The owner of the certificate is black American. The A in certificate says it’s Ahmed and the A he submitted to INEC with NYSC bears Adekunle.”

On whether the Supreme Court would accept fresh evidence before it, Kalu said, “The Supreme Court allows fresh evidence, as it is part of the Supreme Court rule. As we speak, it is clear that the Supreme Court rules say that you cannot enjoy the fruit of illegality.”

Chieftains of the party at the press conference included former National Chairmen of PDP, Uche Secondus, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, former Senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Chief Tom Ikimi.

APC to Atiku: Your Desperation Unbecoming of a Statesman

APC described as unbecoming of a statesman, who once occupied the second highest office in the land, the desperation of Atiku.

National Publicity Secretary of APC, Felix Morka, in a statement, said Atiku had thrown every decency, decorum, dignity and national respectability out of the window.

Morka alleged that Atiku went on a purposeless judicial voyage of discovery to the United States in search of a magic wand for taking power against the will of the Nigerian electorate expressed in last February’s presidential election.

The ruling party said it was unfazed by the press conference addressed by the former vice president.

“The press conference lacked purpose and delivered nothing except the pitiful regurgitation of lies, mindless distortions and deliberate falsehood on his infantile obsession with the academic record of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement said.

It stated, “For several weeks now, Nigerians and the world have watched with incredulity Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s display of utter desperation in his failed bid to become the president of Nigeria.

“Earlier today (Thursday), he put his desperation in overdrive during his press conference, where he addressed some of the issues in his appeal at the Supreme Court, bandying unproven charges against the president of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a calculated attempt to shamelessly whip up public sentiments and inordinately pressure the Supreme Court.”

Morka said the ruling party believed Atiku should have known better than to demonstrate gross contempt of the highest court by making public comments on a matter he had submitted to the court for adjudication.

He maintained that it was obvious that Atiku harboured deep animosity towards Tinubu whom he believed was responsible for his electoral woes in 2007, 2015, 2019 and this year.

APC said in the statement, “In desperation, unbecoming of a statesman who once occupied the second highest office in the land, the PDP candidate in the last election has thrown every decency, decorum, dignity and national respectability out the window on his purposeless judicial voyage of discovery to the United States in search of a magic wand for taking power against the will of the Nigerian electorate loudly expressed in last February’s presidential election.”

The party’s spokesperson stressed that Atiku held the unenviable title of Nigeria’s most prolific election loser and longest running presidential candidate in history, saying APC sees his recent US fishing expedition as the last kick of a roundly rejected presidential aspirant.

Labour Party Welcomes Atiku’s Invitation to Obi

Labour Party (LP), yesterday, welcomed Atiku Abubakar’s invitation, extended to Mr. Peter Obi and others, to join the struggle to enthrone justice in Nigeria

A statement by National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, said, “We, therefore, welcome every other interest willing to join us in our pursuit of a nation where justice shall reign.”

Ifoh said the LP presidential candidate, Obi, was currently at the Supreme Court seeking to reclaim his stolen mandate and was focused on that.

He stated regarding Obi”He has been in the vanguard of ensuring a just nation, where justice must be the watchword, and he will not stop until Nigeria achieves a leadership it truly deserves.

“Obi has pontificated severally on the need for leaders to be good role models and to live a life worthy of emulation. This he has done by publicly putting his credentials in the open for verification.

“Nigeria will get better when men of integrity and honour drive the affairs of the nation.”

Bagudu: Economic Summit to Inspire Confidence, Realisation of Country’s Potential, Others

·      Poverty on increase in Nigeria despite worldwide decline, says NESG

James Emejo in Abuja

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubabar Bagudu, yesterday, said the administration of President Bola Tinubu would work with the private sector to boost confidence in the economy in order to drive job creation, economic growth and the realisation of the country’s potential.

Bagudu spoke at a media briefing on the forthcoming 29^th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#29) with the theme: “Pathways to Sustainable Economic Transformation and Inclusion.”

He said both the public and private sector would collectively design and prioritise strategies to unlock untapped potentials, foster sustainable economic transformation and promote shared prosperity for the nation.

This was as the Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf, expressed worry that while there has been a broad decline in poverty worldwide, both extreme and moderate poverty remain and continue to increase in Nigeria.

The minister, however, said the two-day summit scheduled to hold between October 23 – 24, 2023, would send a strong message on the avowed commitment of the present administration for effective collaboration with the private sector in achieving a sustainable and inclusive economic transformation.

He said the government’s strategy was to provide a modern and efficient infrastructure, promote the expansion of the private sector through deliberate policies for the formalisation of informal sector, and ensuring good governance.   

Bagudu, stressed that the pathway to sustainable economic transformation and inclusion depended on innovative policies, robust workable institutions, strategic investments in infrastructure, upskilling our human capital, encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, and leveraging digital technology.

He said through targeted reforms, increased transparency, and good governance, Nigeria could unlock its immense economic potentials, attract foreign investments, equip the youth with the skills and resources they need to leverage the opportunities of the digital era, as well as improve the quality of life for Nigerians.

He said the summit further seeks to cultivate a people and technology-centered approach to addressing emerging trends, shaping a future of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

The minister said the sub-themes would also address relevant pillars in the National Development Plan 2021-2025, the Nigeria Agenda 2050 and the Renewed Hope Agenda, including demographic issues, and dealing with social problems such as poverty, unemployment and inequality, as well as the expansion of fiscal space through improved revenue generation and promotion of good governance. 

He emphasised that the main target of the Nigeria Agenda 2050, was to increase the country’s per capita GDP to $6,000 and $33,000 by 2030 and 2050 respectively.

This, he said, would reduce poverty rate to 0.6 per cent and unemployment rate to 6.3 per cent, while transiting the economy to the highest per capita GDP in the group of upper-middle income economies.

He pointed out that the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda and eight priority areas of the current administration are aimed at fast-tracking the goals of the Nigeria Agenda 2050 and the National Development Plan 2021-2025 with a double-digit growth rate and inclusive development.

He disclosed that the ministry was in the process of conducting the mid-term review of the NDP 2021-2025 with the purpose of fine-tuning the plan and ensuring that the renewed hope agenda is incorporated into the NDP 2021-2025.

He said the ministry would welcome innovative ideas from the stakeholders at the summit to ensure its effective integration into the NDP 2021-2025.  

He said the summit had become the largest and foremost annual convergence for public sector policy makers and private sector industry leaders in the country, bringing together development partners, civil society organisations and representatives of the academia.

Speaking at the briefing, Yusuf, pointed out that amid a rapidly changing global economic landscape and increasing inequalities, a strategy for sustained growth must ensure a form of industrialisation that makes opportunities accessible to all people and broadly distributes income and non-income gains across society. 

He said government’s inability to fully integrate solutions to social issues into targeted industrial and economic policies undermines the country’s developmental potential, widening income inequality gaps.

He said low productivity, inadequately diversified local economic activity, high unemployment rates and job insecurity remained a challenge for the country.

He noted that with a predominantly young population and a high debt burden, Nigeria must chart a trajectory that ensures inter-generational and sustainable growth, adding that the country had encountered various economic and political obstacles in recent years, underscoring the urgent need to redesign its systems and address structural issues. 

The NESG chairman stressed that the need to translate economic growth into improved living standards for all its citizens remained one of Nigeria’s pressing concerns.

Among other things, he said the summit would, “prioritise strategic collaborations, evidence-based policies, data-driven metrics, and human talent development to drive economic progress, focusing on the role of technology and innovation and sub-national and local governments as drivers of economic growth and development.”