God chose Tinubu for Nigeria, LP, PDP blackmailing judiciary – Onanuga

because the poll “did not match their expectation”.

The Transition Committee member lambasted clergymen for disparaging the election, recalling the latest comment by Cardinal John Onaiyekan of the Catholic Church.

“To Onaiyekan, the alleged machination of ‘those riggers’ made impossible the manifestation of the ‘people’s will’ in the outcome announced by INEC.”

Onanuga said the “malicious propaganda” has been told repeatedly by the opposition parties and their supporters since March 1, when Tinubu was declared as President-elect.

The “lie”, according to him, has been sold outside the country to people who do not have firsthand information on how INEC conducted the poll.

Onanuga said the 2023 election was “miles ahead of the heavily compromised 2007 election conducted by President Olusegun Obasanjo wherein the beneficiary, Umaru Yar’Adua apologised”.

Yar’Adua atoned for Obasanjo’s sin by setting up the

Justice Uwais Commission to sanitise the electoral process, the ex-Mananing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) noted.

He said the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) made a significant difference and made the recent election the most technologically driven poll ever conducted in Nigeria.

“Critics of INEC, on account of the non-transmission of the results recorded at the 176,000 polling units are purely doing so for mischief…each party polling agent was given a copy of Form

EC8.”

Onanuga said parties need not wait for INEC to upload results to know the entire results, recalling how ex-President Goodluck Jonathan conceded to President Muhammadu Buhari before INEC’s announcement after knowing his fate.

“In a development that is extremely strange to our politics, the LP and the PDP initially sponsored calls for an interim government. We have never had such post-poll desperation, except this time that we have a Peter Obi and an Atiku.

10th Assembly: APC NWC picks Akpabio, Tajudeen as Senate President, Speaker

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The National Working Committee (NWC) of All Progressive Congress (APC) yesterday micro-zoned the position of Senate President to former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio, while the position of Speaker of House of Representatives is microzoned to Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.

Also, senator Barau Jibril and Hon. Benjamin Kalu were respectively picked for the position of Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

A statement issued yesterday and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of APC after an NWC meeting at the party’s national secretariat, Felix Morka, noted the consultation between the President elect and the NWC of APC.

The statement reads “The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) met today, Monday, May 8, 2023 to consider reports of consultations and meetings held with the President- Elect, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other Party leaders and stakeholders on zoning arrangement for 10th National Assembly leadership positions.

“The NWC noted with respect the outcome of the meetings held between the President-Elect and the leadership of the NWC. The

NWC called for further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure the support of the aspirants to the National Assembly leadership positions and members of the Party nationwide.

“The zoning arrangement reported to the NWC is as follows: “1. Senate President - South South - Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom). 2. Deputy Senate PresidentNorth West-Senator Barau

Jubrin (Kano).

“3. Speaker - House of Representatives - North West-Hon. Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna). 4. Deputy Speaker - South East-Hon. Ben Kalu (Abia).

“We urge our party leaders, members and all Nigerians to continue to work for peace and progress of our country during and beyond the current period of leadership transition”, the party said in the statement.

Supreme Court to deliver judgment in Osun guber election dispute May 9

By Christiana Ekpa

The Supreme Court on Monday fixed Tuesday, May 9, to deliver its judgment in the disputed July 16 governorship election in Osun State.

The apex court fixed the 24-hour period for the judgment delivery after taking arguments from parties involved in the matter.

At the centre of the disputed election is the incumbent Governor Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke, who stood for the poll on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Adegboyega Oyetola who was the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate.

However, while Oyetola is the appellant in the Supreme Court matter, having lost at the Court of Appeal, Adeleke is the major respondent who won the Court of Appeal decision.

The Supreme Court will deliver the final verdict by 2 pm on May 9.

At today’s proceedings, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN argued for the APC.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had on Friday, March 24, vacated the tribunal judgment that nullified the election of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State.

The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of

Justices, held that the appeal Adeleke lodged to challenge his sack by the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was meritorious.

Aside from setting aside the judgment of the tribunal, the court, in its lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Mohammed Lawal, awarded N500,000 cost against the All Progressive Congress, APC, and its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.