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TPLT Watermark on CTC: Explain to Nigerians, Atiku Camp Tasks PEPC

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The camp of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, to explain to Nigerians the rationale behind the appearance of customized watermark of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team, on the Certified True Copies of the judgment.

The demand is contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant (Communications) to the presidential candidate, Mr. Phrank Shauibu, where he further lamented the inability of the Tribunal to release the CTC to the PDP candidate on time.

Read the statement in full:

After causing needless delay in availing the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his legal team Certified True Copies of its judgment, the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) must explain to Nigerians and the world ambiguities around why copies of the judgment bears the header of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team.

It is not our intention to stir up controversy on the matter, but it is very important that the PEPC should tell Nigerians why they chose to affix the header of the Respondents on the CTC copy of their judgment, whereas the copies that went to the petitioners did not have the same.

Was that because the Tinubu Legal Team is deemed to be accorded special privileges? The court must explain!

It is very clear that there are many questions begging for answers, including why the PEPC came to the decision to avail the Respondents, especially the Tinubu Legal Team to have a first receipt of the CTC of the judgment before the Plaintiffs.

The curiosity is more confounding based on the fact that the lead counsel to Atiku and the PDP had pleaded in the open court to have express receipt of the judgment, to which Justice Haruna Tsammani agreed to and promised to make the document available the following day, which was Thursday.

Nigerians want to know why the PEPC confers special privileges to the Tinubu Legal Team by making them have a first custody of copies of the PEPC judgment, even though it was more urgent for the Petitioners who needed the document in order to cause an appeal to the Supreme Court within 14 days including weekends.

In the course of delivering its judgement, the PEPC had spoken of the petition it was ruling upon in a vexatious and denigrating language as if it was a crime to bring a case of electoral banditry before the court.

However, unfolding developments after the court’s ruling elicit suspicions about whether or not the Tinubu Legal Team provided clerical services to the PEPC. Otherwise, how and when did the ‘Tinubu Presidential Legal Team’ creep into a document that was supposed to be the official document of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria.

We need to restate that the ‘Tinubu Presidential Legal Team’ on the top left-hand corner of all the 798 pages is neither a monochrome nor a metadata. It is actually a HEADER, meaning that except for a valid explanation, the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team is the originator of the document. For the purposes of clarity, “a header is text that is placed at the top of a page, while a footer is placed at the bottom of a page. Typically, these areas are used for inserting information such as the name of the document, the chapter heading, page numbers, creation date, and the like.” On the other hand, watermark is “a faint design made in some paper during manufacture that is visible when held against the light and typically identifies the maker of the document.”

The PEPC must, on its honour if indeed it still has any, clarify why the court chose to put the header of the Tinubu Legal Team on a CTC copy of its judgment document, while the only emblem that should have been on the document is the stamp of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria.

Again, the PEPC must explain why it came to the discretionary decision of having the Respondents have a custody of the judgement earlier in the day on Friday while only making same available to the Petitioners later in the day, and only after the lead counsel to Atiku and PDP had written a second letter (the first was on Thursday) to the court demanding for copies of the judgment.

Moreover, we have it on good authority that when the PEPC was informed that the CTC copies of the judgment given to the Respondents was already circulating in the public domain with the header of TPLT on it, a further delay was necessitated by the need for it to undertake a laundry of the documents by removing the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team header before handing over same to the lawyers of Atiku.

Whereas the legal team of the PDP and Atiku have statutory 14 days to prepare its appeal to the Supreme Court, the PEPC had erased 2 days out of that 14 days, no thanks to the PEPC whose Chairman, Justice Tsamani had promised to make available the CTC copy of the judgment to Atiku a day after its judgement was rendered, which ought to have been on Thursday.

Nigerians and the world are earnestly waiting for answers to these posers as the legal challenge shifts to the Supreme Court. Otherwise, it will validate suspicions that there were external factors involved in the formulation of the judgment and bring the entire judiciary of Nigeria into disrepute.

Make no mistake about it. This legal challenge to the electoral banditry of February 25, which has now shifted to the apex court, is not about Atiku. It is indeed our last ditch effort to salvage our country and deepen our democracy. Against the background of the decimation of nearly all of the institutions of state including the Independent National Electoral Commission which dragged us into this quagmire, our intent is to ensure that the judiciary, the last hope of the common man does not go to the dogs.

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FG Puts Up Two Presidential Jets for Sale in Switzerland

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The Federal government has listed for sale two aircraft from Nigeria’s presidential air fleet, including a nearly two-decade-old Boeing 737‑700 Business Jet (BBJ), through Swiss-based AMAC Aerospace in Basel.

According to reports, the BBJ—acquired in 2005 during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration for $43 million—has become increasingly expensive to maintain and raised safety concerns, especially following a mechanical incident during an official trip to Saudi Arabia in April 2024.

The aircraft was officially listed for sale on U.S.-based aviation marketplace Controller.com, though no asking price was made public.

The jet has served Nigerian presidents for 19 years and was recently replaced by a refurbished Airbus A330-200, acquired in mid-2024 for approximately $100 million.

Despite undergoing partial refurbishment in July 2024, including C1-C2 inspections, updated carpeting, and upgrades to the first-class seating area, the BBJ remains costly to operate.

It is also not enrolled in any engine maintenance program, with its two CFM56-7BE engines currently operating under “on condition” status, meaning they are not guaranteed by a performance coverage plan.

The aircraft features a five-zone interior configuration with capacity for 33 passengers and eight crew members.

Highlights include a VIP stateroom with a bed and private lavatory, a four-seat conference area, full-service forward and aft galleys, four lavatories, and Ka-Band Wi-Fi powered by a Honeywell MCS-7000 system.

Entertainment options include several large monitors across different cabin sections, while avionics include advanced communication, navigation, and safety systems from Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, and other top manufacturers.

The BBJ is also fully compliant with ADS-B, CPDLC, FANS-1/A, and RVSM standards.

Powered by two CFM56-7BE engines with over 3,800 hours of flight time each, the aircraft also features an intercontinental range, thanks to eight auxiliary fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 70,000 pounds.

The BBJ is undergoing B1-B2 inspections in Basel, Switzerland, where it retains its original 2005 paint scheme—white with green accents symbolizing the Nigerian flag.

In addition to the BBJ, the federal government is reportedly planning to list a second aircraft from the fleet, although details have not been made public.

Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet, overseen by the Nigerian Air Force and Office of the National Security Adviser, includes 10 aircraft—seven fixed-wing jets and four helicopters. At least three of the fixed-wing aircraft are said to be unserviceable.

Both the Buhari and Tinubu administrations had pledged to streamline the air fleet for cost efficiency amid economic challenges and public scrutiny.

Since February 2025, President Bola Tinubu has been flying aboard a San Marino-registered BBJ (T7-NAS) pending the final delivery and customization of the Airbus A330-200, which was recently sent to South Africa to receive a new livery and additional refurbishments.

Relorts further said the AMAC Aerospace, which facilitated the Airbus purchase, is also handling the sale process for the BBJ-737.

Interested buyers have been asked to contact the firm directly for pricing and further inquiries.

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Senator Natasha Vows to Resume at Senate on Tuesday

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The Federal High Court in Abuja voided her suspension and ordered her immediate reinstatement, describing the disciplinary action by the Senate as “excessive, unconstitutional, and a violation of her constituents’ rights.”

Justice Binta Nyako fined Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan N5 million for contempt of court due to a Facebook post that violated an interim injunction issued on March 4, 2025.

This injunction barred all parties from making public or social media comments about her suspension.

The court ruled that the senator’s Facebook post from April 27, which was a satirical apology to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, violated a court order.

Natasha’s legal team argued the post was unrelated to the case and referred to personal sexual harassment allegations made on live television.

However, the court disagreed, stating the post was tied to the ongoing proceedings.The court overturned the suspension, stating that the Senate’s disciplinary action lacked constitutional validity and called for a revision of its internal procedures to align with democratic norms and the rights of elected representatives.

Justice Nyako noted that legislators must attend at least 161 sitting days per legislative year and emphasised that the six-month suspension denied the people of Kogi Central effective representation.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March after a dispute over seating arrangements in the Senate and later accused Senate President Akpabio of sexual harassment, escalating political tensions.

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Adeleke Debunks APC Defection Rumours, Reiterates PDP Membership

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Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has reaffirmed his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and denied reports of his decamping to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The state governor noted with concern the widespread rumour and has reassured his supporters and admirers that he remains a member of the PDP and the leader of the party in the state.

Governor Adeleke, who restated his preoccupation with the implementation of the administration’s five point agenda urged Osun people to ignore fake news, promising more delivery of good governance and democratic dividends.

“I assure the good people of Osun that I remain part and parcel of the PDP family. I am not defecting to any party”, the governor was quoted as clarifying.

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