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Biden’s Invitation to Tinubu Inappropriate, Unacceptable, Says Timi Frank

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Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Wednesday, described the purported request of the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, to meet President Bola Tinubu as inappropriate, unacceptable and condemnable.

Frank said the meeting billed to take place at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September is suspicious in view of the fact that Tinubu currently lacks legitimacy as the result of the 2023 Presidential Election is being contested in court.

He said Biden’s request conveyed by a US Presidential envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, defeats the stance of the American Government on democracy and sanctity of the ballot.

“President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership,”
Ambassador Phee said during his meeting with Tinubu recently.

Frank said: “This move by Biden is certainly anti-American stance on rule of law and a bad example in collaborations in view of the pendency of suits challenging the declaration of Tinubu as President and multiple investigations ongoing concerning his integrity,
true identity and academic records both in Nigeria and USA.

“It’s an insult to say that Tinubu is the only African president that Biden has chosen to meet on the sidelines of UNGA when they know his legitimacy deficit and the fraudulent election that brought him as president.

“For me, even if they want to discuss Africa affairs, they can discuss with any other legitimate African leader within the continent.

“However, it is clear the only reason they are seeking this meeting is to protect their selfish interests and it is for this type of unbecoming action that the US is now trying former President Donald Trump.

Frank who is the Ambassador of the United Liberation Movement for West Papau (ULMWP), to the East Africa and Middle East, added:
“It is disheartening to note that at a time when everyone is eagerly waiting on the outcome of the Presidential Election Tribunal, the US will seek to play to the gallery by inviting Tinubu as the sole African leader Biden wishes to meet at UNGA.

He urged Biden to rescind his invitation to Tinubu pending the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the suits challenging the legitimacy of the President.

He said: “The USA should know that any other African President can collaborate with them for mutual benefit provided they legitimately hold power in trust for the people.

“Why is President Biden in a hurry to meet Tinubu at UNGA other than to protect US interest in the West African sub-region, especially in view of recent military coup in Niger Republic and the reports of a putsch in Gabon.

“We are curious as to the true intent of the proposed meeting save for divide-and-rule-system employed
by developed countries in their relations with African countries, otherwise there is no need for this hurry to meet Tinubu until the courts have decided the true winner of the Nigerian Presidential election.

“The US must allow the Nigerian judicial system to determine the legitimacy or otherwise of President Tinubu before it seeks to discuss sensitive issues with him concerning the West African sub-region.

“This is very crucial and necessary as anything otherwise will seek to legitimize an illegality at a time when Nigerians are eager to see to a final closure on this matter.

“Again, need we say that this kind of bestowal of recognition on illegitimate administrations by America and other western powers is responsible for new incidences of coups in the African subregion?

“We must state categorically that some of us as allies and friends of USA have nothing against American pursuing its interests in Nigeria or Africa but they must not do it to the detriment of people of Nigeria or Africa.

“Rather, diplomatic and business relations and collaborations between the two sovereign nations should be done in a manner befitting both nations considering the views and interest of the Nigerian people. We believe in them but they must try and also do things that will benefit Nigeria.

“As true friends, we will call them out when they go wrong and applaud them when they’re right as regards issues concerning Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.”

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Kaduna: Tribunal Affirms Sani’s Election, Dismisses PDP’s Petition

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The Kaduna State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna has dismissed petition brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the 2023 election, Isah Ashiru, against the victory of Governor Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, in a dissenting judgment of two against one, delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel headed by Justice Victor Oviawie dismissed the petition on the ground that the pre-hearing notice was filed out of time, and therefore deemed to be abandoned.

The tribunal chairman and another member held that the appeal brought by PDP and Ashiru against the dismissal of their petition at the preliminary stage by the first and second defendants was not meritorious because the filing of the pre-hearing notice was abandoned and out of time, and therefore had dealt the entire petition a fatal blow.

The tribunal, however, noted that if the petition had not been dismissed for lack of merit, it would have ordered a supplementary election in 22 polling units within 90 days in the substantive judgment.

Senator Sani, during the election polled a total of 730,001 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ashiru of the PDP, who scored 719, 196 votes.

The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Jonathan Asake, came third with 58,283 votes, while Suleiman Hunkuyi of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) scored 21,405 votes.

While the Labour Party and NNPP accepted the outcome of the election, the PDP and its candidate rejected the results, alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the wrong candidate winner of the election.

Besides, the PDP and Ashiru alleged that there were massive irregularities and manipulation of results in favour of Governor Ubah in some local governments by INEC. According to them, the APC candidate did not score the highest number of valid votes cast in the election and ought not to have been returned winner of the election by INEC.

In June 2023, PDP and Ashiru, however, filed a petition at the election petition tribunal to challenge the election of Governor Uba.

At the last sitting of the court on September 3rd, all parties presented their final written addresses before the tribunal, with APC’s legal team led by a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bayo Ojo (SAN), arguing that the petitioners had helped in proving he won the election free and fair, pointing in particular to the admission of a star witness for the petitioner, Bonett Gwazah, a senior system analyst in the VR/ICT department of INEC in Kaduna State.

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NiMET Alerts FCT, Edo, 23 States of 48-Hour Downpour

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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has notified the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Edo, Kwara, and 22 other states of 48-hour downpour beginning on Thursday.

In its weekly heavy rainfall forecast bulletin released on Wednesday, the agency told the residents to also expect flash floods.
Other states listed are Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Enugu, Delta, Bayelsa, Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kwara, and Benue.

The bulletin reads: “Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected within the forecast period (Thursday 28th and Friday 29th, September 2023) over parts of Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Enugu, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa.

Other States are: “Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kwara, Benue State and the Federal Capital Territory.”

On the likely impact of the rains, NiMet warned: “The expected moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to cause some flash flooding over their areas of occurrence.

“Strong winds should accompany the rains with the strongest winds expected over parts of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi State.”

The agency cautioned residents against driving through surface runoff waters, as they have strong undercurrents.

It identified slippery road surfaces and reduced visibility as other hazards that may be triggered by the downpour.

The Punch

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Chicago Academic Record: Atiku Plans Fresh Suit Against Tinubu

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The legal team of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is planning to file a motion to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s plea for Chicago State University not to release privileged documents in his academic records.

The Special Adviser to Atiku on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu, told The Punch that the legal team had up to 48 hours to respond to the motion in the US court.

Atiku had earlier secured an order for CSU to make the president’s academic records available to his legal team.

A magistrate, Jeffrey Gilbert, had last week ordered Tinubu’s alma mater to provide all relevant and non-privileged documents to the applicant within two days.

Atiku is currently challenging the victory of the former Lagos State governor at the 2023 presidential poll and his recent affirmation by an election petition court in Nigeria.

The documents sought by the PDP candidate, through his counsel, Angela Liu, include the record of admission and acceptance at the university, dates of attendance including degrees, awards, and honors attained by the former governor of Lagos State at the university, among others.

But as the deadline given by Gilbert drew nearer on Thursday, Tinubu’s lawyers approached Maldonado, arguing that the earlier decision by Gilbert needed to be reviewed by a district judge.

The request for a review and delay of the order till Monday was eventually granted by the US district judge.

Tinubu’s application, filed by his lawyers, Oluwole Afolabi and Christopher Charmichael, advanced two reasons.

First was that his academic records in issue are not useful in Nigerian courts as claimed by Atiku because the Nigerian election proceedings and the Nigerian courts have explicitly been unreceptive to the discovery.

The second reason given was that Atiku’s request is unduly intrusive because it allows Applicant (Atiku) to conduct a fishing expedition into intervenor’s private, confidential, and protected educational records.

When asked on Wednesday to confirm if Atiku has filed the suit as he earlier threatened in Monday, Shaibu reassured that the former vice president would submit the motion before midnight.

He said, “I am sure you have seen his application. We are working on our response. We have up till midnight today (Wednesday) to respond to them. And we will.”

On when they expect the court to rule over the matter, Shaibu stated that “It is after we have responded to the court, that it will fix the date and inform the parties.”

When contacted for reaction, Coordinator of Tinubu Presidential Legal Team, Babatunde Ogala, who spoke via phone from his base in the United States told The Punch he would rather not speak on the development.

“As I told you earlier, I am still on vacation,” he said.

The Punch

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