…. stop looking for who to blame, INEC fires back
Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, who alleged that the 2023 presidential election was rigged, on Wednesday, accused the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, of evading the service of a witness summon on him.
Ob had through his team of lawyers led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, obtained a subpoena to compel the INEC Chairman to appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja.
He wants the INEC boss to not only testify before the court as a witness but to equally produce and tender in evidence, some sensitive materials that were used for the conduct of the presidential election.
At the resumed proceedings in the petition, he lodged to challenge the declaration of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the presidential contest that held on February 25, Obi and his party, told the court that all efforts to serve a copy of the subpoena on the INEC Chairman, failed.
While lamenting the inability of his client to effect service of the summon of Prof. Yakubu, Obi’s lead counsel, Dr. Uzoukwu, SAN, said: “My lords, I thought that by now, we would have been through with the stage of tendering of documents.
“I have drawn the attention of the lead counsel to the INEC, Mr. Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, that the office of the Chairman of the Commission has consistently refused to accept subpoenas to produce certain documents, in spite of efforts of Bailiffs of this court.
“The counsel graciously asked me to give him a copy of the subpoena but I didn’t have an extra copy to give to him, so, he asked me to give it to any member of his team.
“My lords, because I still do not have an extra copy, I intend to get it and send to him once the proceeding of today is over.
“I am confident that he will do the needful for us to continue our case tomorrow,” he added.
However, irked by the allegation, the INEC, through its lawyer, Mr Kemi Pinhero, SAN, accused Obi of always looking for who to blame for his failure.
Pinheiro, SAN, while addressing the court, said he was not privy to any discussion that Obi’s lead counsel had with any member of the Commission’s legal team.
He said: “My lords should take note that it has become a habit for the Petitioners, that whenever they want to seek for an adjournment, they must look for someone to blame.
“I was not privy to any discussion they had with our team leader because all the discussions have been open to members of our group.
“However, it cannot be true that the Chairman of INEC refused to receive the subpoena. In PDP’s case, subpoenas were served, not only on the Chairman but also on some National Commissioners.
“My lords should equally note that all the avalanche of documents they have tendered so far, some of them were certified as far back as in March.
“Yet, every time, they keep complaining that INEC refused to release documents to them.
“The submission that INEC refused to give documents to them, with due respect to the learned counsel, is not true.
“If they want to ask for an adjournment, they should do so and not attempt to use the INEC as a weeping board.
“I want to say for the records that it is not correct that INEC Chairman refused to receive a subpoena.
“The Chairman of INEC has no interest whatsoever. This allegation against him is most uncharitable,” Pinhero, SAN, added.
Though counsel for the Petitioners, Uzoukwu, SAN, maintained his position and urged the court to verify from its Bailiffs, if the INEC Chairman did not refuse service of the subpoena, however, the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel, urged restraint from both parties.
“There is no need to quarrel over this issue. If a subpoena was refused, counsel knows what to do.
“We should remember that after this case, we will still see each other in court.
“So, let us not allow issues like this to destroy bonds of friendship,” the Chairman of the panel, Justice Tsammani cautioned the senior lawyers.
Following a no-objection stance by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who appeared for President Tinubu, as well as by counsel for the APC, Mr Afolabi Fashanu, SAN, the court adjourned further hearing on the matter till Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Petitioners had earlier in the proceedings on Wednesday, tendered in evidence before the court, copies of printouts of the results of the presidential election from seven states of the federation, which they downloaded from INEC’s IReV portal.
The printouts, which the Petitioners said were duly certified by INEC, were from 21 LGAs in Benue state, 25 LGAs in Niger state, 17 LGAs in Edo state, 20 LGAs in Bauchi state, 8 LGAs in Bayelsa, 8 LGAs in Gombe state and 21 LGAs in Kaduna state.
The Petitioners equally tendered in evidence, bundles of printouts from unlinked or cancelled LGAs in the states.
Though all the Respondents in the matter, objected to the admissibility of the documents, the Justice Tsammani-led panel admitted them in evidence and marked them as Exhibits.
The court further admitted in evidence, a certificate of compliance for certified Exhibits from 28 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
It will be recalled that Obi, who came third in the presidential election, had indicated his intention to call 50 witnesses within the three weeks that was allocated to him by the court.
The Abia State Ministry of Information and Strategy on Wednesday commenced verification of workers to flush out ghost workers in the system.
The staff audit, which was earlier scheduled to hold from Monday to Tuesday, was shifted by the Ministry to Wednesday and Thursday.
A release signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Charles Ifenkwe advised the workers in the Ministry to come to the Administration Department of the Ministry for the verification with photocopies of their service documents.
Governor Alex Otti had during his inauguration speech reiterated his administration’s determination to flush out ghost workers from the State’s civil service.
Different sources from the state civil service revealed that workers with genuine employment records had no reason to panic because of the verification exercise.
Immediate past Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has formally resigned as a member of the House of Representatives representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
After 20-year sojourn in the House of Representatives.
Before tendering his resignation letter, Gbajbiamila had moved the first motion of urgent public importance in the 10th House on the “Need to Commence Active Measures to Mitigate the Probable Devastation of a Severe Flood Season and prepare Palliative Intervention to Prevent the worst Socio-Economic Consequences for Nigerians in the Affected Areas.”
Gbajabiamila officially presented his letter of resignation to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas by 12.12 pm.
In the letter read by the Speaker, Gbajabiamila informed the House of his appointment as Chief of Staff to the President and the need to exit the Green Chamber.
He thanked members of the House for their support throughout his stay, especially in the last four years when he served as Speaker.
The former Speaker left the Chamber after his letter was read by the Speaker at exactly 12.14pm to a standing ovation from members and was escorted out by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and a few other members.
President Tinubu had on Friday, June 2, 2023 appointed Gbajabimila as his Chief of Staff at a meeting with Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).
Elected into the House to represent Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State since 2003, the veteran lawmaker had variously served as Minority Whip, Minority Leader, Majority Leader and Speaker of the House.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assented to the Nigeria Data Protection Act.
A statement on Wednesday issued by Babatunde Bamigboye, Head, Legal Enforcement and Regulations in Nigeria Data Protection Commission(NDPC), said the President assented to the Act on June 12th, 2023.
According to Bamigboye, Nigeria has taken a giant leap forward in the global data race with the assent to Nigeria Data Protection Act.
While applauding the President for renewing the hope of over 200 million Nigerians in the advancement of Privacy rights and other fundamental freedoms both in cyberspace and in analogue transactions, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission National Commissioner, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, equally expressed high optimism on the prospects of Nigeria’s Digital Economy following the emerging regulatory dispensation.
According to the statement, “The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, pursuant to the express provisions of the new act, has transmitted into a full-fledged Commission and it is mandated to among others: “regulate the deployment of technological and organizational measures to enhance personal data protection; foster the development of personal data protection technologies, in accordance with recognised international best practices and applicable international law; and conduct investigations into any violation of a requirement under the Act.”
Other mandates of the NDPB as contained in the provisions of the new Act include to “impose penalties in respect of any violation of the provisions of the Act or subsidiary legislation made thereof; where necessary, accredit, license, and register suitable persons to provide data protection compliance services; issue regulations, rules, directives and guidance under the Act; and register data controllers and data processors of major importance.
Bamigboye explained that the Act is one of the strategic ways of meeting the campaign promise of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of creating one million jobs in the digital economy sector.
He noted that about 500, 000 jobs are expected to be created through the training of Data Protection Officers and licensing of Data Protection Compliance Organizations to offer services to data controllers and processors.
Banks Trading Forex At N750/$ In Nigeria
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given commercial banks and dealers in the forex market the green light to sell forex freely which is at a market-determined rate.
This is in line with the promise of President Bola Tinubu to unify the multiple exchange rate in the market.
The development means banks can now sell forex at market-determined rates, suggesting Nigeria is now operating a freely floating exchange rate.
However, official confirmation will have to come later in the day when data from the FMDQ is available.
The Investors & Exporters (I&E) window is now quoting a range of between N750 -N755/$, according to customers who cited emails received from their banks. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is however still quoting N463/$ as the I&E rate on its website but the last time it updated the rate was June 9.
The latest move by the CBN follows President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of CBN governor Godwin Emefiele whose unorthodox monetary policies had become a stumbling block to investors and the economy.
The exchange rate could go as high as between N800 and N1000 by the end of today, according to some bankers, who say the CBN’s next move should be to prioritise supply of dollars to support the naira float.
“The convergence of the rates is only the first step, the next step is the most crucial and that is to boost supply into the market,” a source told BusinessDay.
“No foreign investor will come without a hedge and that can only come when there is assurance of supply. That’s the hard work,” the source said.
Another knowledgeable source is of the view that the willing buyer/willing seller arrangement that has now been adopted is only the first of six steps to fixing Nigeria’s broken FX market.
The second step must be to provide a hedge mechanism that is priced in line with the market while the third step is to ensure market yields are attractive to Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI).
The next steps are to ensure transparency and remove all controls around domiciliary accounts. Finally, there is also a need to clear the dollar backlog in the market in order to attract FPIs.
“The focus is on supply,” the source Told BusinessDay.
Expectations are high after the initial move to fix Nigeria’s broken FX market.
Meanwhile, an investment banker and the Co-founder, Comercio Partners, Nnamdi Nwizu, said the immediate impact of the directive is enhanced foreign exchange inflow into the economy and further rise in the inflation rate, as the I&E window exchange rate rises aggressively as already seen today.
The Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife has selected Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe, Chief Executive of Green Energy International Limited for the first University award of excellence in Research Practice. The award is a prestigious award given to an alumnus of the University with an outstanding record of knowledge-based accomplishment at global and national level.
Professor Adegbulugbe was a contributor to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) Assessment Reports which won for the IPCC the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with US Vice President Al Gore.
Professor Adegbulugbe studied Electrical/Electronics Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University and he graduated with BSc. (Hon) with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.0 on a scale of 5.0 in June 1976. He received a Doctor of Science degree in engineering in June 1981 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He was a recipient of the Doctorate Degree (Honoris Causa) from Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) in 2019.
By this award, Prof. Anthony Adegbulugbe will serve as a mentor for the about 200 best students across all Departments of the University. In addition, he will serve as the face of academic and research excellence for the Institution for the next one year (2023/2024).
The Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire in a statement commended Professor Adegbulugbe for his outstanding contribution to the society and the energy sector in Nigeria in particular and globally.
Ekiti State’s culinary sensation, Damilola Adeparusi, affectionately known as Chef Dammy, has accomplished a remarkable milestone by reaching the 120-hour mark in her ongoing cook-a-thon.
This extraordinary achievement comes hot on the heels of Chef Hilda Baci, the current record holder in the individual category for the longest hours spent cooking, who recently set a new benchmark of 100 hours, as officially recognized by the prestigious Guinness World Records.
Reports indicate that the 26-year-old chef Dammy, driven by her unwavering ambition, cooked tirelessly for an impressive 111 hours on Tuesday, captivating the audience in Oye Local Government Area, Ekiti.
Notably, Chef Dammy received an esteemed visit from the Vice Chancellor and management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, further cementing her status as a culinary trailblazer.
Pending verification by the Guinness World Records, Chef Dammy is poised to claim the coveted title of the new world record holder, a remarkable accomplishment in her career.
A former lawmaker representing Esan North East/South East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Sergius Ogun has revealed how lawmakers were induced in the 2019 speakership race.
According to Ogun in an interview with Arise News, it is on record that those who voted for the former speaker of the 9th National Assembly, Femi Gbajabiamila were given a card and 10,000 dollars.
Ogun further stated that the PDP paid 5,000 dollars to some of their members who voted for them in the 9th assembly.
The ex-lawmaker added that both parties shared cards with their members to show that they truly voted for them.
He, however, stated that he was in the PDP leadership then and that mature men wouldn’t do that.
According to him, “Inducement plays a huge role. And it’s on record that those who voted for the then speaker of this 9th assembly were given a card, and when you vote, you’re supposed to snap that card, and ten thousand dollars were given to them. And I’m also aware that PDP then gave five thousand dollars to some of their members. We were in the PDP leadership then, and we were told to contribute money, which we did. I was involved. “
“There was a gentleman sitting by me who is still coming to the house, but he was a first timer, and he was asking me, “Why did PDP give five thousand dollars whereas the other guys gave ten thousand dollars?” and I asked him in the first class, “Should your party be giving you money to give you direction on how to vote?” So even though most of them will deny it, I’m aware that it happens. And the cards were available. They were given the plastic cards with numbers, so that’s to confirm that yes, for the money you have collected, you have voted. Like I said, mature people won’t do that.”
Watch the interview below:
Media
Former President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, has been arrested by the US Marshals.
Reports obtained by Naija News on Wednesday morning claimed that the former US president, who is the first to be faced with a federal charges, has been put under arrest at the federal courthouse in Miami, where he will face 37 criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump is expected to plead not guilty at the next hearing of his case.
Trump’s second indictment comes just months after he was charged by a Manhattan grand jury in a separate hush-money case. Though the former president has denied any wrongdoing in both cases and has vowed to remain in the 2024 presidential race despite the charges.
Trump is, however, expected to speak further on his troubles and the 2024 race once he returns to his Bedminster resort in New Jersey.
According to reports, Trump was placed under arrest by deputy US Marshals and his booking process and that of his aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta have been completed, CNN reports from inside the courthouse.
The marshals are expected to take electronic copies of his fingerprints at some point during today’s proceedings. They are not expected to take a mugshot of Trump given his recognizability.
The former US president is likely to enter a plea and there will be a discussion of the conditions of his pretrial release. Trump could also be faced with some restrictions on his conduct as the case moves forward.
Tuesday’s proceedings will be overseen by a magistrate judge, expected to be Jonathan Goodman, who is the magistrate on duty in Miami this week, Naija News understands.
Speakers and their deputies emerged in various states of the federation as the legislatures were inaugurated across the country on Tuesday.
Zamfara
Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail from Zurmi West emerged as the speaker of the 7th Assembly in Zamfara State.
The speakership position was zoned to the Zamfara North Senatorial District to balance the political equation as the governorship slot went to the Zamfara Central zone while Zamfara West got the deputy governorship slot.
Hon. Adamu Aliyu from Gumi 11 was elected deputy Speaker.
Plateau
A first-time lawmaker, Hon. Moses Sule (PDP) got the speakership office.
Also, Joseph Bukar representing Shendam constituency (APC) nominated Gwattson Fom Dalyop of Jos South Constituency (PDP) as deputy speaker and was seconded by Dantong, (PDP), Riyom Constituency.
Sule appreciated his colleagues for choosing him to led them in the 10th Assembly and appealed for their cooperation to have a rancour-free assembly.
Enugu
The member representing Udi North State Constituency Hon. Uche Ugwu was elected the speaker of the Assembly.
For the position of deputy speaker, Hon. Jane Eneh of Awgu North Constituency nominated Prince Ezenta Ezeani of Igboetiti West Constituency.
His nomination was seconded by Okey Mba of Nkanu East
Ezeani was declared the deputy speaker of the 8th Assembly by the clerk, Dr. Emma Udaya.
Kwara
A member of the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Ilesha/Gwanra State Constituency, Salihu Yakubu Danladi, emerged as the Speaker of the House.
Naija News understands that 38-year-old Danladi, who was the Speaker of the 9th Assembly emerged unopposed during the inauguration of the House on Tuesday, June 13.
He was nominated by Zakari Danbaba from Kaiama State Constituency and seconded by Arinola Lawal from Ilorin East State Constituency.
Adamawa
A lawmaker living with a physical disability, Rt Hon Bathiya Wesley, became the speaker of the 8th Assembly of Adamawa State.
Wesley won the hotly contested election after consulting with key stakeholders and appealing to his fellow legislators.
In a phone conversation with Daily Trust on Tuesday after his swearing-in ceremony, Wesley, who represents the Hong Constituency, said he sees himself as “a child of destiny” and doesn’t identify as physically challenged.
Cross River
Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem has emerged as the new speaker of the 10th Cross River State House of Assembly.
Naija News understands that the lawmaker representing Ikom II State Constituency was elected for the position unopposed on Tuesday, June 13.
Also, Hon Sylvester Agabi representing Obudu State Constituency was elected Deputy Speaker.
Kano
A member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Jibrin Ismail Falgore, was elected as the new speaker for Kano State 10th House of Assembly on Tuesday.
Naija News reports that the member-elect representing the Rogo constituency in the state assembly won the election unopposed on Tuesday when lawmakers cast their lots.
Falgore was nominated by Lawal Hussaini (Dala/NNPP), with his nomination seconded by a member-elect from the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Musa Ali Kachako (Takai).
Delta
The member representing Warri South-West Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor has been elected as the Speaker of the 8th House of Assembly while Arthur Akpowowo who represents Ethiope-East Constituency, emerged the Deputy Speaker.
Guwor and other members of the State’s 8th Assembly were inaugurated after they swore an oath of allegiance.
Kaduna
Honorable Yusuf Liman and Honorable Magaji D. Henry were on Tuesday elected as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly respectively.
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An unnamed teenager has reportedly shot dead his friend while testing bullet-proof charm in Ekiti state.
The deceased was a JSS 2 student at Erinjinyan Community High School in Ekiti West Local Government Area.
The tragedy happened on Monday when the two boys involved were playing with a Dane gun, a local said.
The gun was said to belonged to the father of the suspect, who was a palace hunter.
The teenagers were allegedly testing the potency of a bullet-proof charm.
The suspect and his father have been since been apprehended by officers from Aramoko Divisional Police, while the corpse of the victim has been deposited in the mortuary of an undisclosed hospital.
Efforts to get the police to confirm the incident were futile as the spokesperson of the Ekiti State Police Command, Sunday Abutu, failed to pick up his calls.
Kuje prison certifies man who opposed Kuje prisonKuje prisoninauguration ‘mentally unstable’
Editor 1The Kuje Correctional Centre has presented to the Zuba Magistrate Court, the medical report of the psychiatric evaluation of Obiajulu Ujah.
The citizen, regarded as a supporter of Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, caused a stir at the Abuja airport on March 31.
Ujah was ejected from a Lagos-bound Ibom Air flight after vociferously opposing the May 29 inauguration of President Bola Tinubu.
Upon his arraignment in April, he was sent to prison for one month to enable medical experts to determine the state of his mental health.
The medical report signed by the Kuje Prison Chief Medical Officer (CMO) suggests Ujah has a mental disorder, PRNigeria reported on Tuesday.
At the last sitting at the FCT Magistrate Court in Zuba, Magistrate Abdulazeez Ismail Muhammad subpoenaed the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
Also summoned was the Kuje Correctional Centre CMO to provide his opinion in writing as to the state of mind of Ujah, who is said to be mentally-challenged.
With the report now tendered before the court, Ujah will know his fate at the next hearing in the matter adjourned to the 15th day of June, 2023.
The raging controversy over the unveiling of the supposed national carrier, Nigeria Air plane, at the twilight of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration should not be swept under the carpet, civil society organisations say.
The unveiling of Nigeria Air was carried out by Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation, on May 26, 2023, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The Ex-Minister expressed delight, insisting that the Federal Government had matched its words with action regarding the project.
Before the unveiling, the erstwhile Minister had repeatedly assured Nigerians that the project would kick off, at some point revealing the plan for aircraft which would be used in the fleet.
Sirika promised that Nigeria Air would begin operation within five months following the unveiling of the name and logo of Nigeria Air at the Farnborough International Air Show in July 2018.
However, there was a backlash after the event, especially over the Ethiopian Airlines plane used for the unveiling.
The outgone House of Representatives Committee on Aviation reacted by calling for the suspension of the establishment of Nigeria Air.
It also called for prosecuting those involved in the unveiling of the national carrier by the previous administration, describing the exercise as a fraud.
The committee urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute a high-level Presidential committee to undertake a holistic review of the processes of the Nigeria Air project.
Rep. Nnolim Nnaji, the Chairman of the committee on Aviation, said the committee was dissatisfied with the actions of the former Minister of Aviation in going ahead to flag off the operations of Nigeria Air despite a standing court injunction against such, insisting there was no provision for sustaining the airline’s operations.
He said a careful review of the process indicated the exercise to be highly opaque, shrouded in secrecy, shoddy and capable of ridiculing and tarnishing the image of Nigeria before the international community.
We want to put on record that the committee and, indeed, the National Assembly had no role in the purported launch of Nigeria Air or anything related thereof.
He said, While the committee and indeed the parliament is not opposed to Nigeria having a National Carrier, as a matter of fact, having a National Carrier is highly desirable to us as a people and Nigeria, as a nation.
The committee also directed the Federal Ministry of Aviation and its partners in the Nigeria Air project to suspend flight operations and every other action concerning Nigeria Air.
Joining the call for a thorough probe of the alleged fraud is a Civil Society Organisation, the Center for Human Rights and Accountability Network, CHRAN.
It called on the anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to probe Buhari over his role in the alleged ‘fraudulent’ launch of the Nigeria Air.
It also demanded immediate arrest and investigation of Sirika and all those involved in the alleged scam for them to face the full wrath of the law if found wanting.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Comrade Vincent Aluu, the group said, The launch, which took place on the last day of the Buhari’s government, was criminal and aimed at defrauding the people.
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Haruna Gololo, also urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate the immediate past Minister of Aviation over unpleasant discoveries in Nigeria Air aircraft’s purported launch.
He demanded, We are giving the EFCC two weeks to arrest and investigate the former Minister of Aviation and other key participants in the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Olu Omotayo, said the previous administration acted as if there was no law in the country.
Omotayo said an investigation ought to have commenced if it were in an advanced country.
He said what they did was shabbily done, insisting it was dubious.
He said, The past administration did not handle it in an open way. It was shrouded in so much secrecy, and when you are doing a public project like that, the people are supposed to know.
But they were just dribbling at the Nigerians, telling Nigerians that they already had some aircraft on the ground at various press conferences they addressed, but with the situation, it turned out to be false.
If it were in an advanced country, an investigation is supposed to have commenced because I felt that whatever they did was shabbily done, and it was very dubious. There is nothing on the ground to show that they actually invested the amount of money they were talking about.
So the issue has to be investigated, either by the appropriate agency or the incoming National Assembly. We cannot just leave it lying down because it will encourage public officeholders to repeat the same act in the future. They acted as if there was no law in the country.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed the agenda of his meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
The two men met inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja/
Speaking with newsmen afterwards, Jonathan said he met with Tinubu to brief him about the planned constitutional referendum in Mali.
Jonathan is a special envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and is leading the mediation mission in Mali.
The West African country will conduct a referendum on a new constitution on June 18. It will be a precursor to the long-awaited elections scheduled for February 2024.
I came to brief the president on the activities of some continental and subcontinental bodies. You know, I am the ECOWAS mediator for Mali and the chairman of the West African Elders Forum.
Jonathan said, So, there are certain issues bordering on the continent and the sub-region that I discuss with various presidents.