News

Tinubu’s Govt Rejects EU’s 2023 Election Assessment, Says Institution Bias

Published

2 years ago

July 2, 2023

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has rejected the assessment of the February 2023 presidential election by the European Union (EU), saying the institution’s conclusion is bias and not objective.

The government, which added that Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election fair and square, made the remarks in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President (Special Duties, Communications and Strategy), Mr. Dele Alake, on Sunday.

The Federal government questioned how the EU with only 50 observers for the election can give an objective assessment of an election that took place in 176, 000 polling units. It also defended that bodies such as the African Union, ECOWAS and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has given credible reports of the election.

Recall that the Head of EU Electoral Observation Mission, Barry Andrews, addressed a press conference in Abuja the precious week, stating the final report on the elections. The EU, according to Andrews, monitored the pre-election and post-election processes in Nigeria from January 11 to April 11, 2023 as an INEC accredited election monitoring group, coming out with reports that discredited the process and outcome of the election.

Read the statement in full:

WE REJECT EUROPEAN UNION’S CONCLUSIONS ON 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS

Sometimes in May, we alerted the nation, through a press statement, to the plan by a continental multi-lateral institution to discredit the 2023 general elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The main target was the presidential election, clearly and fairly won by the then candidate of All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. While we did not mention the name of the organisation in the said statement, we made it abundantly clear to Nigerians how this foreign institution had been unrelenting in its assault on the credibility of the electoral process, the sovereignty of our country and on our ability as a people to organise ourselves. We find it preposterous and unconscionable that in this day and age, any foreign organisation of whatever hue can continue to insist on its own yardstick and assessment as the only way to determine the credibility and transparency of our elections. Now that the organisation has submitted what it claimed to be its final report on the elections, we can now categorically let Nigerians and the entire world know that we were not unaware of the machinations of the European Union to sustain its, largely, unfounded bias and claims on the election outcomes. For emphasis, we want to reiterate that the 2023 general elections, most especially the presidential election, won by President Bola Tinubu/All Progressives Congress, were credible, peaceful, free, fair and the best organised general elections in Nigeria since 1999. There is no substantial evidence provided by the European Union or any foreign and local organisation that is viable enough to impeach the integrity of the 2023 election outcomes. It is worth restating that the limitation of EU final assessment and conclusions on our elections was made very bare in the text of the press conference addressed by the Head of its Electoral Observation Mission, Barry Andrews. While addressing journalists in Abuja on the so-called final report, Andrews noted that EU-EOM monitored the pre-election and post-election processes in Nigeria from January 11 to April 11, 2023 as an INEC accredited election monitoring group. Within this period, EU-EOM observed the elections through 11 Abuja-based analysts, and 40 election observers spread across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. With the level of personnel deployed, which was barely an average of one person per state, we wonder how EU-EOM independently monitored election in over 176,000 polling units across Nigeria. We would like to know and even ask EU, how it reached the conclusions in the submitted final report with the very limited coverage of the elections by their observers who, without doubt, relied more on rumours, hearsay, cocktails of prejudiced and uninformed social media commentaries and opposition talking heads. We are convinced that what EU-EOM called final report on our recent elections is a product of a poorly done desk job that relied heavily on few instances of skirmishes in less than 1000 polling units out of over 176,000 where Nigerians voted on election day. We have many reasons to believe the jaundiced report, based on the views of fewer than 50 observers, was to merely sustain the same premature denunciatory stance contained in EU’s preliminary report released in March.

We strongly reject, in its entirety, any notion and idea from any organisation, group and individual remotely suggesting that the 2023 election was fraudulent. Our earlier position that the technology-aided 2023 general elections were the most transparent and best organised elections since the return of civil rule in Nigeria has been validated by all non-partisan foreign and local observers such are the African Union, ECOWAS, Commonwealth Observer Mission and the Nigerian Bar Association. Unlike EU-EOM that deployed fewer than 50 observers, the Nigerian Bar Association that sent out over 1000 observers spread across the entire country for same election gave a more holistic and accurate assessment of the elections in their own report. NBA, an organisation of eminent lawyers and an important voice within the civic space, reported that 91.8 per cent of Nigerians rated the conduct of the national and state elections as credible and satisfactory. Any election that over 90% of the citizens considered transparent should be celebrated anywhere in the world. It is heart-warming that INEC, through its National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, has come out to defend the integrity of the election it conducted by rejecting the false narratives in the EU report. It is also gratifying that the electoral umpire, as an institution that is open to learning and continuous improvements, has also committed to taking on board more ideas, innovation and reforms that will further enhance the integrity and credibility of our electoral process. As a country, we have put the elections behind us. President Tinubu is facing the arduous task of nation-building, while those who have reasons to challenge the process continue to do so through the courts. In just one month in office, Nigerians appear satisfied with the decisive leadership of President Tinubu and the manner he is redirecting the country to the path of fiscal sustainability and socio-economic reforms. We urge the EU and other foreign interests to be objective in all their assessments of the internal affairs of our country and allow Nigeria to breathe.

News

Timothy Adegoke: Your Death Sentence Stands, Appeal Court Tells Ramon Adedoyin

Published

16 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Eric

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.

“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.

The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.

Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions

Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.

The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.

He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.

In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.

But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.

The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.

News

PDP NWC Confirms Fubara’s Leadership of Party in Rivers

Published

18 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Eric

Members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed support for the recent court ruling that nullified the party’s congresses in Rivers State.

The NWC members made their position known during a visit to Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday night, where they also held a closed-door meeting with the Governor.

The delegation included the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.

Speaking after the meeting, the National Treasurer, Ahmed Mohammed, reaffirmed Governor Fubara’s status as the party leader in Rivers State.

He described their visit as part of an effort to realign the party and strategize for a comeback in the 2027 elections.

Mohammed stated their commitment to fostering unity, stability, and effective repositioning in the State.

He also expressed the NWC’s support for Ude Okoye, who was recently reinstated as the party’s National Secretary by the Court of Appeal.

Mohammed urged party stakeholders and governors to rally behind Okoye for the party’s progress.

The visit comes just days after PDP Youth leaders from across the country met with Governor Fubara in a bid to resolve internal party crises, with a focus on affirming his leadership in the state.

The court ruling that nullified the Ward, Local, and State congresses, which were won by allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has created ripples within the party.

The congresses, which were held last year, were marred by conflicting court orders, with a State High Court restraining the exercise while a Federal High Court allowed it.

Following the nullification, an interim committee emerged, saying it will oversee the leadership of the party in Rivers State.

News

Retd AIG Odumosu’s Wife Rescued, Abductors Killed, N10m Ransom Recovered

Published

21 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Eric

The Nigeria Police have announced that their operatives have rescued Mrs Folasade Odumosu, the wife of a former Assistant Inspector General, Hakeem Odumosu, who was last Thursday, kidnapped at the entrance of her home in Arepo, Ogun State.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, noting that two of the kidnappers were killed while four others escaped without their weapons.

Adejobi said with the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged Odumosu’s abductors in a gun duel and neutralized the criminals in the swampy area of Ikorodu on Wednesday.

The police spokesman added that Mrs Odumosu is currently undergoing a medical evaluation and has since been reunited with her family.

The statement read, “In a commendable display of teamwork and swift action, police operatives attached to the Ogun State Command have successfully neutralized the kidnappers of Mrs. Odumosu, wife of Retired Assistant-Inspector General, AIG Hakeem Odumosu, and rescued her unharmed.

“On January 16, 2025, at approximately 9:45 PM, four masked gunmen forcibly abducted Mrs. Odumosu from her Lexus Jeep outside her residence in Arepo, Ogun State. The abduction sparked an immediate response from the anti-kidnapping unit of the Ogun State Police Command, who commenced a thorough investigation and targeted pursuit of the kidnappers.

“With the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged in extensive surveillance of the creeks surrounding Arepo, gathering crucial information to track down the assailants. Their efforts culminated in a raid on January 23, 2025, at around 06:45 AM. The intelligence-led operation took the police to a creek in the swampy area of Ikorodu, where the kidnappers were reportedly planning their next attack.

“Upon arrival, the operatives encountered the kidnappers, who opened fire. In the ensuing confrontation, two of the gunmen were neutralized, while four others fled the scene, abandoning their operational weapons.”

Adejobi said the police operatives recovered N10m initially paid to the kidnappers, four Ak-47 rifles, three locally made single barrel rifles, and ammunition of various calibres.

He added, “The victim, Mrs Odumosu was rescued within the swampy creeks during the operation, unharmed. She is currently undergoing medical evaluation as a precautionary measure and has since been reunited with her family. The police also recovered 4 Ak-47 rifles, 3 locally made single barrel rifles, ammunition of various calibres, and the sum of N10,000,000 ransom previously demanded by the kidnappers, further ensuring that justice is served.”

Adejobi said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the police operatives and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, for the rescue operation.

He asserted that the Police Force is committed to safeguarding the citizens and combat kidnapping and other violent crimes.

“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has commended the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, and his operatives for their displayed gallantry in this successful operation.

“This operation exemplifies the dedication and resilience of our Police officers. The Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes, providing safety and security to all citizens,” he added.