Military, police issue warnings to protesters as tribunal renders decision in presidential election petitions Wed

The military and the police have declared they will not tolerate any illegal behavior by troublemakers ahead of the pronouncement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal’s ruling on Wednesday in Abuja.

Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, the director of defense information, issued a warning to anyone who could have been considering using violence on that day.

The tribunal said in a statement on Monday that it would rule on the petitions contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s designation of Bola Tinubu as the victor of the 2023 presidential election on Wednesday.

Because Tinubu’s party received the majority of the votes cast in the election, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had proclaimed Tinubu the president-elect on March 1.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Stephen Adah of the Court of Appeal (Asaba Division), Justice Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf of the Court of Appeal (Asaba Division), Justice Moses Ugo of the Court of Appeal in Kano, and Justice Abba Mohammed of the Court of Appeal’s Ibadan Division will all deliver the judgment on Wednesday.

In the 2023 election, the former governor of Lagos State received 8.8 million votes, defeating Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, who received 6.9 million votes, Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, who received 6.1 million votes, and 15 other candidates.

Five of the 18 political parties that took part in the elections, however, went to court to challenge the electoral body’s decision.

Atiku and Obi, who are leading the opposition to Tinubu’s electoral victory, have requested the tribunal to overturn the former governor of Lagos’ victory in the February 25 presidential election.

Other resentful parties, in addition to the PDP and the LP, were the Action Alliance, Action People’s Party, and the Allied Peoples Movement.

The petitions of the AA and the APP were dismissed during the tribunal’s sessions by the five-member panel led by Justice Tsammani.

The dismissal came when the parties formally withdrew their petitions.

Due to claimed anomalies that allegedly tainted the process in thousands of polling units, Atiku pleaded with the court in his 66-page petition to annul the election and order a new one.

The former vice president requested the removal of Tinubu’s certificate of return in a joint appeal with the PDP titled CA/PEPC/05/2023.

He said that Tinubu’s announcement as the election’s victor was “illegal due to non-compliance with the terms of the Electoral Act, 2022.”

Having obtained the second-highest number of legal votes cast in the election, Atiku further argued that Tinubu’s victory was invalid due to corrupt practices and requested the court to proclaim him the winner of the presidential election.

The APC candidate, he claimed, “is constitutionally disabled from contesting for the post of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” and did not meet the requirements of the constitution.

However, Tinubu questioned the petition’s legal validity in a reply that he sent through his team of attorneys under the direction of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN.

He characterized Atiku as a persistent loser who had switched political parties numerous times since 1993 in an effort to gain control.

Obi claimed in his suit that there were irregularities in the election, noting the alleged ineligibility of Tinubu and his running companion, Kashim Shettima, to run for office.

Additionally, he claimed that Tinubu did not receive a majority of valid votes or one-fourth of all valid ballots cast in the Federal Capital Territory.

He said that there was significant legal compliance failure throughout the election.

The PDP, the LP, and the APM adopted their final written addresses on August 1 and the panel reserved judgment.

live broadcast

However, Umar Bangari, the Chief Registrar at the Court of Appeal headquarters, announced the judgment day in a statement on Monday, stating that the tribunal decision would be broadcast live on television stations.

He pointed out that doing this would encourage transparency and openness and allow Nigerians to follow the proceedings.

“The Court of Appeal wishes to advise the general public that decision in the following petitions before the Presidential Election Petition Court will be given on Wednesday, September 6, 2023,” stated the announcement.

“CA/PEPC/03/2023 between Mr. Peter Gregory Obi and Anor vs. Independent National Electoral Commission and 3 Others; CA/PEPC/04/2023 between Allied Peoples Movement vs. Independent National Electoral Commission and 4 Others; CA/PEPC/05/2023 between Abubakar Atiku and Anor vs. Independent National Electoral Commission and 2 Others.”

The public can watch these decisions live on television because to interested television stations’ efforts to promote transparency and openness.

On the day of the verdict, he added, the courtroom will only be open to accredited individuals, such as attorneys and political party representatives.

“Accreditation is the only way to enter the court’s grounds. The courtroom will only be open to accredited individuals, such as attorneys and political party officials.

The public is encouraged to watch proceedings on television if they are interested. To guarantee a smooth exercise, we kindly ask for as much of the public’s help as possible,” the message concluded.

Gusau explained that the Guards Brigade and Army Headquarters Garrison, working with other security agencies, would not fold their arms and permit anyone to instigate trouble when speaking about the security arrangements made to prevent the possibility of a breakdown in law and order on the judgment day.

In response to inquiries from The PUNCH regarding the security order that would be put in place to guarantee public safety prior to or on the judgment day, The DDI made this statement.

Gusau responded, “We have been keeping peace and security in coordination with other security agencies across the country. We will not prevent protests by individuals who may be unhappy with the tribunal’s decision.

The Guards Brigade and Army Headquarters Garrison, along with other security organizations, have been on the ground in Abuja ensuring security in the FCT.

We’ll keep working on our own projects, and if somebody tries to cause trouble, we won’t just turn our backs on them. We must perform our duties.

Together with other security services, we will keep our routine watch on the day of the judgment. We cannot be working and remain silent when we witness someone trying to cause havoc. What makes us outside (on patrol), then?

In the meantime, the police have increased security in numerous states in front of Wednesday’s verdict.

According to the Osun State Police Command, sufficient security measures were put in place to guarantee the protection of people and property.

There won’t be a crisis in any area of the state, as appropriate protection has been given, the command spokeswoman, Yemisi Opalola, promised.

We don’t feel afraid, but we are ready and we’ll take steps to protect people and their property before, during, and after the ruling, she said.

The Nigeria Labour Congress’ planned warning strike for Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the judgment, prompted the police in Kwara State to declare that they were prepared to quell any protest or demonstration that might occur.

alert the police

The leadership stated that its soldiers were prepared to put an end to any protest or demonstration that might have been organized by criminals in the event that they did not agree with the verdict.

Ajayi Okasanmi, the state police command’s spokesperson, stated that the force was prepared to uphold peace and security in the state despite the fact that Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, was calm on Monday evening and there were no obvious security personnel there.

“Since no type of protest or demonstration would be tolerated in the state, we are pleading with state leaders and the various political groupings to order their members. Calling their supporters and advising them not to plan any protests in the state at this time is advice given to political leaders.

“This is a state of harmony, and the atmosphere is calm and serene, but our officers and soldiers are ready to check any obscene movement or demonstration by any gang of miscreants who seek to disturb the serenity of the state,” Okasanmi said.

The Gombe State Police Command has also issued a warning to troublemakers to stay away from the state ahead of the scheduled delivery of the ruling on the presidential election petitions.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mahid Abubakar, stated that procedures had been activated to ensure the security of lives and property and confirmed that the command was ready to handle any untoward incident.

He declared, “Anyone or any group of people trying to stir up unrest should stay away from the state because failure to do so will result in their arrest and exposure to the full force of the law.

The Commissioner of Police, Oqua Etim, has ordered necessary security measures to be put in place to avoid any unanticipated events before, during, and after the ruling. “The command is aware of the development.”

Speaking about its expectations, the PDP stated that because it provided the election tribunal with information about the election of February 25th, it would not disregard the justices’ decision.

Debo Ologunagba, the party’s spokesman, claimed that with the information at hand, the panel knew what to do.

As a party, we won’t override the learned justices, he said. We explained to the panel why we are contesting the election’s results using facts and proof. Elections are about following the rules, the law, and the due process, thus we went to the tribunal completely prepared with proof.

“The justices will now review the facts in front of them and make a decision. We are confident that this evidence will determine how this case turns out. We anticipate winning. The PDP and Atiku are not at issue in this situation. Both Nigerians and members of the international community are looking forward to this process’ conclusion.

“Nigerians’ interest in this petition is sufficient cause for optimism for everyone. The PDP is merely amplifying public sentiment. So, since we are convinced that we will win, there is no need for us to believe that the decision would be against us.

On appeal, LP

The leadership of the Labour Party committed to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court if it had any grounds for doing so.

Kehinde Edun, the National Legal Adviser of LP, revealed this in a phone conversation on Monday.

Before the verdict, Edun stated that he was confident that the LP would win because of “all the facts on the ground.”

The national legal adviser shot down the idea that the party leadership would protest if the decision did not go their way, stating that the LP would prefer to investigate the possibility of going to the supreme court.

No, there is no need for protest, said Edun. There is yet a choice. The tribunal is obviously not the supreme court. The presidential election’s court of first instance is all that exists. The court of first instance is the court of appeal.

“The Supreme Court is still an option for us. What justification do you have for protesting the Wednesday ruling? We will continue our appeal if there is a good reason to. At this point, the topic of protest does not even come up. You can still ascend if you’re not happy. However, we don’t even think that will happen. The victory is going to come to us.

But if things doesn’t go our way, we may now think about what caused the result. We will resort to the Supreme Court if we are unhappy with the explanation.

Bala Ibrahim, the APC’s director of publicity, expressed optimism about the likelihood that the ruling party would receive a favorable judgement.

He stated that the party will follow the law in the event that the verdict was unfavorable.

As the current in power and a progressive party, Ibrahim declared, “We definitely have more trust in the court than the cutlass anyone may wish to brandish.

In related news, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered all of its employees to remain at home on Wednesday, the scheduled day for the tribunal’s decision.

Only a few authorized staff members would be permitted into the courthouse, a worker said our correspondent.

We were informed today that we shouldn’t report to work on Wednesday and that only individuals with tags would be permitted into the court premises on that day, the man stated. For our own good, they claimed. I discovered they would tag those who would report to work on Wednesday. Only a few people will show up for work if it happens.

The subject is an internal administrative problem, according to Bangari, the Chief Registrar.

“This is an issue of internal administration. The decision to instruct the personnel not to report to work on a certain day is solely an internal matter. It doesn’t matter. The NLC has nonetheless announced a strike.

Musa Alonge, the treasurer for the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, declared that as a member of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the union will follow its rulings.

We are an NLC affiliate, and in addition to that, we also have our own problems, for which we will also be providing them (the judicial authorities) a 21-day deadline. We are making progress in reviewing our difficulties with compensation.