Candidates’ Nomination Can Be Contested as Pre-election, Post-election, Appeal Court Rules

•Nullifies Senate Minority Leader’s election

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, yesterday, declared that, the nomination of candidates could either be a pre-election or post-election matter if contested by another candidate of a different party, saying that was where the lower court (Tribunal) missed the point.

To this end, the nullified the election of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkon, representing Plateau North in the Senate.

The election petition tribunal in Jos had upheld the election of Mwadkon, throwing away the petitions by Mr. Chris Giwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr. Gyang Zi of the Labour Party (LP). But the two went on appeal.

Delivering the judgement yesterday afternoon in Abuja, the Judge regretted that she could not read the body of the judgement.

Skipping the facts of this petition and the reliefs sought at the tribunal, she noted that all parties in the matter were familiar with all of them, saying, “They’re all contained in the body of the judgement, which all parties will get.”

On the position of the court, the Judge said the subject matter was whether the second respondent was declared winner in accordance with the law by the tribunal, adding that Section 84(14) was the basis to be determined and that the issue was based on ground one (structure).

The judge said the court made total findings with regard to the issue of structure of the PDP, and had a misconception about the issue of qualification, adding that in her considered view, and given the findings of the court, the appeal succeeded.

She, therefore, nullified the election and ordered a rerun within 90 days, adding that it was her view that the court’s order for PDP to conduct fresh congress was not fully complied with by the party as 12 LGAs didn’t participate in the congress.

She agreed with the appellants that the party had no valid structure and could not have claimed to have validly nominated the second respondent for the election.

“On this issue, I agree with learned senior counsel that upon nothing, nothing can stand. To avoid anarchy, I agree with the appellants that the court must protect an order of another court.

“Nomination of candidates can be a pre-election as well as post-election if it’s contested by another candidate of a different party. This is where the Tribunal missed the point.

“Section 134(1) is where the appellants had the locus Standi to file its appeal though the third respondent has the right to nominate candidates, it cannot do that within its whims and caprices,” she said.

Ordinarily, it should be a three-man panel of judges but only two were present as the third judge was said to be ill. Justice Mustapha Muhammed, who was absent also agreed with the judgement.

The court also nullified the election of Mus Agah representing Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency on the same ground.

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Obasanjo: Nigeria Can Overcome Forex Crisis by Exploring Non-oil Exports

•Oramah says AfCFTA has capacity to unlock $3trillion GDP for Africa

James Sowole  in Abeokuta

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at the weekend, stated that Nigeria could overcome its foreign exchange (forex) crisis and dwindling value of the naira by shifting from a mono-economy marked by dependence on oil and to non-oil exports, particularly agribusiness.

Obasanjo made the assertion in Abeokuta at the closing ceremony of a week-long intensive “Agribusiness Export Readiness Accelerator Training Programme” for entrepreneurs drawn from across the country.

The training, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, was organised by African Leadership Foundation (ALF), in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

Speaking at the event, also, President of Afreximbank, Dr. Benedict Oramah, said the training exposed participants to requisite entrepreneurial knowledge and export readiness skills needed to trade across borders, particularly with the opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which had the capacity to unlock a market of 1.3 billion people valued at $3 trillion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The former president stated that the discovery of oil in Nigeria several years ago, which was then regarded as a blessing, was now becoming a curse, as some economists had affirmed, given the distortion it caused the Nigerian economy. He urged African countries to maximise their export potential in agribusiness to boost participation in global trade, earn good forex, and increase the prosperity of the region.

 Obasanjo explained, “Nigeria has been known for its near total dependence on earnings from petroleum export, and her economy has suffered devastations arising from various oil shocks without any buffer to cushion against major declines.

“What was initially celebrated as a major blessing has become what economists now refer to as ‘oil curse.’ The recent volatility in the oil market and the expansive global push towards alternative energy now leaves no one in doubt about the urgency of diversifying our economic base through the promotion of non-oil exports.

“Given the enormous resource endowment of Nigeria, I have no doubt in my mind that economic diversification is achievable at the shortest possible time if robust economic policies with appropriate implementation mechanisms are put in place, running consistently over a period of time.

“Nations, like Indonesia and Malaysia, were once mono-product economies, like Nigeria, but they are now well diversified and, therefore, less vulnerable to global economic shocks.”

The former president lamented that Africa remained at the bottom of the global trade pyramid and global value chain, accounting for only 1.9 per cent of global manufacturing, because it failed to add value to even its little export of primary commodities.

He said, “In Nigeria, not only do we export our oil as crude, we turn around to import virtually all our petroleum products from other nations. The story is not remarkably different for our non-oil exports.

“Since international trade is a good barometer of the world economic growth and development, it then becomes quite easy to understand the poor economic performance of Africa in general, and Nigeria, in particular.”

Obasanjo explained how he ventured into tree planting out of the need to solve the problem of heat in his poultry farm, disclosing that he would soon start exporting wood, among other agricultural products.

According to Obasanjo, those that would succeed in agribusiness exports must be resilient, dedicated, embrace quality standards, and be consistent, while also being favourably disposed to learning new things that could enhance their trade.

He commended ALF and Afreximbank for organising the programme to stimulate value-added agro-based exports within and outside Africa.

“This is a game-changing development for Nigeria and the continent at large, and the strategic move aligns perfectly with the goal of fostering economic self-sufficiency and reducing our dependence on oil,” he stated.

The former president also lauded ALF for its commitment to supporting the prosperity of the country, saying the foundation has not only helped to increase the capacity of 36,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), state governments, and international non-governmental agencies, but has also through its business development programme supported SMEs to raise over N2 billion for business start-up or expansion.

Speaking at the event, Oramah, who was represented by Senior Manager, Export Development at Afreximbank, Mr. Ody Akhanoba, disclosed that there was recently an increase in demand for processed agricultural products from Africa, especially in diaspora hubs, such as the United States, United Kingdom, and France.

The Afreximbank president advised participants to maximise the growing diaspora market to further improve on the fortunes of the continent.

Executive Director of ALF, Dr. Olumide Ajayi, said the training was an eye opener on how the entrepreneurs could help foster prosperity, growth and development of Nigeria and Africa by maximising the potential in agribusiness, especially as it relates to export of processed agro-based products to other parts of the world.

Ajayi said, “In the course of this training, we have taken the beneficiaries of this scheme through series of modules, explored the intricacies of the Export Market Plan, delved into strategies for market entry, and honed your skills to meet the demands of international trade. The commitment and enthusiasm you have shown throughout this programme are truly commendable.”

He encouraged participants to remain connected, collaborate and continue learning from one another, saying the network they have built during the programme is a valuable resource that could further their success in the export market.