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Update : “LP’s candidate Obi was PDP member when he picked ticket”, Obi’s petition is a waste of time, Says APC, INEC to Election tribunal

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… Election conducted in compliance with Electoral Act, agency insists

Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi’s petition before the Election Tribunal lacks merit, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) submitted yesterday.
To the APC and the electoral commission, the petition, which is a waste of time, should be dismissed.

LP and Obi are challenging the victory of President-elect Bola Tinubu of APC, winner of the February 25 election, on grounds of alleged non-qualification and non-compliance, among others.

In their separate responses filed before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) last night, the APC and INEC urged the court to dismiss the petition for being unmeritorious.

They are querying the competence of the petition and the grounds on which it was premised.

APC, in its response filed at the PEPC secretariat in Abuja by Thomas Ojo, a member of the party’s legal team, led by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), faulted the petition on many grounds.

It also challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the petition on the grounds that it is, among others, incompetent.

Among APC’s grounds for challenging the competence of the petition are that Obi was not a valid member of the LP as at the time of the election and the exclusion of Atiku Abubakar and his party as a party to the petition, among others.

On Obi’ s claim to being a member of the LP, the APC argued that he was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until May 24, 2022, when he was screened as the party’s presidential aspirant in April 2023.

The APC stated that Obi participated in PDP’s screening exercise and was cleared to contest the presidential election as an aspirant.

It added: “The 1st petitioner (Obi) purportedly resigned his membership of Peoples Democratic Party on 24th May 2022 to purportedly join the 2nd petitioner (LP) on 27th May 2022.

“The 2nd petitioner conducted its presidential primary on 30th May 2022, which purportedly produced 1st petitioner as its candidate, which time contravened Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act for him to contest the primary election as a member of the 2nd petitioner.

“The 1st petitioner was not a member of the 2nd petitioner as at the time of his alleged sponsorship.

“Whereas, by the mandatory provisions of Section 77 (1) (2) and (3) of the Electoral Act 2022, a political party shall maintain a register and shall make such register available to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not later than 30 davs before the date fixed for the party primaries, congresses and convention.

“All the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were screened on 29th April, 2022, an exercise in which the 1st petitioner herein participated and was cleared to contest while being a member of the party.

“The 1at petitioner herein resigned his membership of the PDP on Thursday 26th May, 2022 and joined the Labour Party the following day being 27th May, 2022.

“The 2nd petitioner herein conducted its presidenual primary on 30th May, 2022, which produced the 1st petitioner as the candidate it intended to sponsor in the general election.

“By Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the 2nd petitioner is mandated to have submitted its comprehensive register of members to the 1st respondent (INEC) 30 days before its presidential primary, that is to say the said register of members must have been submitted to the 1st respondent on or before 30th April, 2022

“The 1st petitioner, as at 30th April 2022 was still a member of the PDP and his name was not and could not have been in the register of members submitted by by the 2nd petitioner to the 1t respondent.”

On the non-inclusion of Atiku, the APC wondered why Obi and its party excluded the PDP and its candidate from their petition, having admitted that the PDP candidate came second in the election.

It added that it would amount to a breach of Atiku’s right to fair hearing should the court grant Obi’s relief to declare him winner and void Atiku’s votes without hearing him.

INEC argued that, as against the claim by Obi and his party, it conducted the election in full compliance with relevant laws and challenges the petitioners to prove the contrary.

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APC PCC Restructures Media and Communications Framework Ahead of 2027 Elections, Says Gbajabiamila

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To ensure more cohesive, disciplined, and effective public engagement, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has made some changes to the structure of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.

The Council has approved that only the campaign’s Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari; the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, as official Spokesperson; and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, will speak on behalf of the Council.

All previously announced persons in this capacity shall henceforth dissolve into the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications as members.

Radio and TV stations are hereby advised to take note of these changes and act accordingly. The campaign will delegate appropriate person(s) for appearances where and when necessary.

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Ughulu: Campaigns OK Movement’s Position on Independence Remains Unchanged Amid NDC Crisis

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The OK (Obi/Kwankwaso) Movement has declared that it will maintain its independent identity while mobilising support for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election. NigerianNews Updates

Movement’s leader John Ughulu said the group remained committed to its original mission of securing the election of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and erstwhile Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Speaking in an interview, Ughulu dismissed suggestions that the movement’s decision to campaign independently would undermine its support for the NDC, insisting that the focus should be on achieving a common political objective.

“What difference does it make when we campaign on parallel lines? The most important thing is that we have one objective,” he said.

Asked whether the movement had decided to retain its independent status rather than formally integrate into the NDC campaign structure, Ughulu said its position had not changed.

“We have always been independent, and there is nothing wrong in that. We are campaigning for NDC party’s candidates. I will appreciate we leave it like that,” he added.

He urged members and supporters to remain guided by the principles upon which the movement was established, stressing that its political mission remained unchanged.

“The members of the OK Movement work on the principles upon which we formed the movement. The mission to bring His Excellency Peter Obi and His Excellency Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is sacrosanct,” Ughulu said.

His remarks underscore the movement’s intention to retain its organisational independence while supporting the NDC’s electoral ambitions, particularly its presidential candidate, Obi, in the 2027 contest.

The disagreement between the NDC and the OK Movement followed the movement’s announcement of a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council to mobilise support for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 general election.

The NDC leadership rejected the arrangement, insisting that only the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had the authority to constitute and announce its official campaign council.

The party also maintained that support groups must operate within its recognised organisational framework rather than establish parallel structures.

NDC National Leader Senator Seriake Dickson reinforced this position, arguing that political movements supporting the party’s candidates should complement, not compete with the party’s machinery.

The OK Movement, however, resisted the party’s position, insisting that its support for the NDC candidates should not be interpreted as an obligation to surrender its independently established structures.

Ughulu maintained that the movement had its own leadership, membership and organisational framework, which it was unwilling to dissolve or merge into the party.

The disagreement escalated after the NDC disowned the movement’s campaign council and referred Ughulu to its disciplinary organ over alleged disregard for party authority.

Despite the controversy, the movement has maintained that it will continue to mobilise support for Obi and other NDC candidates while retaining its independent identity.

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Breaking : Imo West Senatorial Race: Court Orders INEC to Recognise Okorocha, Bars Uzodimma from Claiming APC Ticket

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A court has reportedly ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, as the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for Imo West Senatorial District.

The court also reportedly directed Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, to stop presenting himself as the APC candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District seat.

The ruling concerns the dispute over the APC senatorial ticket for Imo West, with the court’s directives addressing the recognition of the party’s candidate and the publication of the relevant details by INEC.

The development could have significant implications for the political contest in Imo West, depending on the terms of the judgment and any subsequent legal proceedings.

 

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