Politics
“Nasarawa Election Fraud Trial: Governor Sule’s Witnesses Accuse INEC of Manipulation”
By Daniel Edu
The trial concerning election fraud in the Nasarawa state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal (GEPT) took a compelling turn as Governor A.A. Sule emerged as the first witness for the second respondent’s lead counsel on Thursday.
Ishaq Abubakar Dan’azumi, the witness, originating from Wuse ward and also serving as the APC Ward Agent for the Awe Local Government Area (LGA), contradicted previous testimonies by asserting that the APC votes were not diminished; rather, it was the votes for PDP that were artificially inflated.
During cross-examination, Dr. Okutepa, the PDP Lead Counsel, probed Dan’azumi about his endorsement of the ward results. Dan’azumi affirmed his signature and clarified that the results were accurately transcribed from form EC8As to form EC8BS. He further disclosed that the APC had not lodged any petitions concerning reduced votes or additional PDP votes.
The second witness, Abdullahi Hashim Danlami, who served as the APC Ward Agent for Makwakiji Electoral ward in Awe LGA, attested that the elections were conducted peacefully and without incident. He raised concerns regarding disparities in the results from a specific polling unit (PU 005), where it was claimed that APC votes were reduced and PDP votes were increased. Danlami stated that he had reported this to the INEC Collation officer, asserting that despite any doubts, his signature validated the results.
The PDP Lead Counsel’s cross-examination cast doubt on Danlami’s assertion of reporting the incident to the INEC Collation officer at the Ward level. The absence of this complaint in Danlami’s witness statement was highlighted, implying potential lack of concrete evidence. It was also revealed that his understanding of the polling unit events primarily relied on verbal information.
Abdullahi Jalal Usman, representing Akiri ward of Awe LGA, provided testimony affirming the proper use of BVAS Machines and result uploading to the IREV platform by INEC. He acknowledged errors in result calculations for some units, where both APC and PDP scores were inaccurately computed. Nevertheless, Usman commended INEC for its overall conduct.
Subsequent cross-examination by the PDP Lead Counsel exposed that Usman was not the APC ward Agent as he had claimed, and his comprehension of the results had been influenced by his lawyer’s presentation in court. His credibility was brought into question due to limited knowledge of actual polling unit occurrences.
Ahmed Abubakar Sarki, a witness from Keffi LGA, affirmed the use of BVAS Machines and result uploading to IREV. He alleged that results from two polling units, Angwan Nupawa 006 and Angwan Yorubawa 017, indicated vote tampering: APC votes decreased while PDP votes increased. However, his spoken testimony conflicted with his written statement.
Kassim Tonko Kassim’s testimony followed similar patterns, citing alterations in APC and PDP votes in Angwan Kwara of Angwan Rimi, Keffi LGA. He conceded having no substantial evidence of being an APC Agent for the mentioned units, raising doubts about his credibility. He also noted the absence of pink result copies.
Abdullahi Al-Kassim, representing Yara ward of Keffi LGA, highlighted disparities between EC8AS and EC8BS results. He implored the tribunal to rectify the allegedly manipulated votes, implicating both APC and PDP. However, concerns arose about his agent status, given discrepancies between his name, signature, and the official records for the polling unit.
Politics
Tinubu Assures Investors Nigeria Is Open for Business, Welcomes Coca-Cola’s $1bn Plan
By Francis Wilfred
President Bola Tinubu has assured local and international investors that Nigeria remains open for business, saying his administration is implementing reforms aimed at creating a more predictable, competitive and investment-friendly environment.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, at the 75th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) in Abuja on Monday, the President said the government is addressing key challenges facing businesses under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Our message to investors, both Nigerian and international, is clear: Nigeria is open for business,” Tinubu said,
He noted that reliable infrastructure, efficient logistics, access to foreign exchange, stable regulations and a supportive tax system are critical to attracting investment and expanding production.
According to Yomi Odunuga, the President said ongoing economic reforms are designed to build a more productive and competitive economy, reduce dependence on imports, strengthen local manufacturing and create jobs for Nigerians.
Tinubu welcomed the Coca-Cola System’s proposed $1 billion investment in Nigeria over five years, announced in 2024, describing it as a strong vote of confidence in the country’s economy.
He said the administration is focused not only on the volume of investment attracted but also on its impact on employment, skills development, technology transfer and local sourcing.
“We are interested not only in the amount of capital that comes into Nigeria, but in what that capital does here,” he said.
The President also praised NBC’s continued expansion of production capacity, including new production lines in Oyo and Kano states, describing such investments as vital to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving policies, infrastructure and regulations to support businesses, while urging the private sector to complement government efforts through investment, innovation and job creation.
Tinubu further highlighted the importance of human capital development, commending NBC’s Supply Chain Academy for training over 1,400 young Nigerians and supporting women’s empowerment and community development initiatives.
He urged investors to take advantage of opportunities across Nigeria, expressing confidence that the country can build a stronger economy driven by local production, exports and globally competitive industries.
Politics
Kano Governorship: Accord Party Governorship Candidate Gashash Getting More Endorsement From Kano Electorates.
By Jabiru Hassan.
The movement for Democratic Protection and good governance (MDSG) declared it's full support to the Accord Party Governorship Candidate Ambassador Dr. Mukhtar Gashash in the forthcoming general elections.
In a chat with our correspondent in kano, the national president of the movement, Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali, stated that it is time for the people of kano state to bring new steward who is seriously planning to transform the state with highest regard.
He expressed his confidence that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash will do his best to ensure that kano state becomes more examplary at both sector without bias which is the task previous administrators failed to achieve.
Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali reiterated that " this time around, our movement is working day and night to make sure that Kano people mostly youths remained Committed to actualize real change in the state's politics, leadership and transformation under the Accord Party government".
He called on the people of kano state especially the eligible voters to vote Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash due to his Transformation plans for the progress of kano state and it's citizens at both Urban and rural settlements.
Responding to a question about Accord party's strength in kano state, Dauda Mohammed Ali disclosed that in today's democracy, competent candidates should be tipped for an elective positions not the popularity of the political parties stressing that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash has been found to be the best option for kano state due to his track record on competency, transparency as a real democrat.
Politics
Caught in the middle: Ortom’s silent dance between two camps.
There are growing questions about where Mr. Samuel Ortom, a former Governor of Benue State and a prominent figure in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), truly stands politically ahead of 2027.
Ortom was a key figure in the divisions within the PDP before the 2023 general elections and was widely associated with support for Mr. Peter Obi, who finished third in that contest. More recently, however, he has publicly expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The latest discussion began after a visit by Mr. Peter Obi to Benue State. Reports indicate that a vehicle said to belong to Ortom was used to receive Obi at the Air Force Base airport in Makurdi. It is not clear who authorized the use of the vehicle, and Ortom has not commented publicly on the matter.
During the same visit, Obi was reportedly prevented from travelling to Yelewata, where he had intended to condole with families affected by violence. Obi’s team attributed the blockage to supporters of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The Governor’s spokesman, Sir Tersoo Kula, denied any involvement by the Governor. He suggested the incident may have been staged to damage the Governor’s reputation, or that it could have resulted from disagreements within Obi’s own support base.
Ortom has not issued a statement clarifying his position on the 2027 elections or on the vehicle in question. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
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