Altered After Parliament: Nigeria’s Tax Laws and the Crisis of Executive Power

Allegations that Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws were altered after parliamentary approval have sparked a heated debate over executive overreach, legislative authority, and the integrity of the country’s governance. With discrepancies between certified and gazetted versions of key tax laws, analysts warn that the controversy could have far-reaching legal, economic, and political consequences.

Imo Guber: PDP Calls For Uzodinma, APC’s Disqualification Over Fake Video

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify Governor Hope Uzodimma and the All Progressives Congress (APC) just 24 hours before the Imo governorship election. This demand comes in response to the alleged involvement of the APC and Governor Uzodimma in creating and disseminating a fake video against PDP’s Imo state governorship candidate, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.  The PDP, through its national publicity secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, labelled the video as “barbaric and shameful,” accusing Governor Uzodimma of stooping to new lows to mislead the people of Imo. The PDP claims that the fabricated video is a manifestation of Governor Uzodimma’s fear of Senator Anyanwu’s popularity, prompting him to employ deceitful tactics to undermine the opposition candidate’s chances in the election. Commending the swift response of TVC, which was allegedly misrepresented in the fake video, the PDP reiterated its support for Senator Anyanwu, dismissing the video as entirely false. The party called on the people of Imo state to disregard the misleading content. The PDP suggested that if anyone should withdraw from the race, it should be Governor Uzodimma, accusing him of showing a lack of readiness for a peaceful, free, fair, and transparent election.  The party urged INEC to disqualify the APC and Governor Uzodimma, citing their reported involvement in producing and circulating the fake video as a gross violation of electoral laws.

APC Debunks LP’s Accusation That Tinubu Will Witch-Hunt Peter Obi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has refuted allegations by the Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure that President Tinubu will harass Labour Party presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Mr. Peter Obi. Abure made the allegations while reacting to the Supreme Court’s judgement that upheld Tinubu’s election. The apex court had dismissed Peter Obi’s appeal against the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) that initially affirmed the former Lagos State Governor as the rightful winner of the presidential election. The court threw out Obi’s petition over failure to prove their allegations of electoral irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. While rejecting the Court’s ruling, Abure said Tinubu is planning to use security agencies to persecute and intimidate Peter Obi. However, the APC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, called Abure’s claim untrue. He stated that President Tinubu is not the type to target his rivals, while describing the allegation as satanic and mischievous. Meseko pointed out that Tinubu has a history of including critics in his government, promoting unity, and even invited the Labour Party to join. “Even this so-called Labour Party was invited on board. But most of their people were busy criticising him, saying he wanted to put their people in government so the party wouldn’t pursue their case in court again and all that. I am saying this confidently that there is no iota of truth in what the LP chairman is saying.”

Atiku’s Lawyer Accuses Tinubu of Submitting Forged Certificate To INEC

Following the release of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records by the Chicago State University, Kalu Kalu, a lawyer representing Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, has made allegations that Tinubu submitted a counterfeit degree certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the elections. Kalu, who spoke in a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, contended that despite Tinubu and his supporters vehemently denying the allegations, the documents obtained from Chicago State University support the claims of forgery. He pointed out several discrepancies, including the use of a female name on the qualifying certificate from South West College to Chicago State University, indicating that the document may not belong to Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Additionally, he said that the admission form from Chicago State University suggests that Tinubu attended Government College Lagos and graduated in 1970, even though the school was established in 1974. “The document indicates that the certificate’s owner is a black American, contradicting Tinubu’s claim of not having dual citizenship. Finally, there is an inconsistency between the name “Ahmed” on the document from Chicago State University and “Adekunle” on the NYSC certificate submitted to INEC,” Kalu argued. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is seeking to overturn Tinubu’s election through legal means after the Presidential Election Tribunal dismissed his petition. As part of this effort, he initiated a case in the United States to obtain the President’s academic records, which have now become a subject of controversy. Kalu emphasized that the Supreme Court, under established legal principles, allows for the introduction of fresh evidence under certain conditions, which he believes have been met in this case. He asserted that a party found to be at fault should not be permitted to benefit from its illegality according to the law.

Islamic Group Warns Wike Over Security Deal With Israel

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has strongly cautioned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, regarding his plans to partner with Israeli security experts.  This warning came through a statement released by MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, in Abuja on Thursday. In the statement, Prof Akintola highlighted Wike’s announcement of a prospective collaboration with Israeli security experts to enhance security measures in Abuja. MURIC, however, voiced apprehensions regarding this potential partnership. “We like to warn that such collaboration with the state of Israel will exacerbate Nigeria’s security problems by escalating it from a local crisis to an international fracas engineered by MOSSAD (Israel’s secret spies) with the likelihood of Nigeria becoming the centre of rivalry for global espionage outfits like the American CIA and the Russian SVR and FSB,” the statement read. Furthermore, MURIC expressed concerns about misconceptions surrounding Israel’s religious identity, asserting that Israel predominantly recognizes and respects Judaism. The statement also referred to recent incidents in which religious tensions were reported in Israel. “We believe that Wike is now courting the Israelis because, like most Nigerian Christians, he holds the wrong notion that Israel is a Christian state whereas the reverse is the case. Several instances confirm that the only religion Israel recognises and respects is Judaism,” Prof Akintola stated. He continued, “Just yesterday, on Wednesday, September 4, Jews spit on Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem and Christians are under constant attacks in Israel.” The MURIC executive director emphasized the need for caution, citing Israel’s history of disregarding United Nations resolutions and its contentious stance on several international issues. “To cap the edifice, Israel’s arrogant posture at the United Nations as it shuns the latter’s resolutions is legendary. At least 45 UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s aggression against Palestinians,” he pointed out. In conclusion, Prof Akintola stated, “A terrorist state cannot be the ideal security partner for us in Nigeria. Wike should take the Israelis to Rivers State. Israel constitutes an existential threat to both Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.” Minister Nyesom Wike’s office has yet to respond to MURIC’s cautionary statement, leaving the fate of the proposed security partnership uncertain.

Presidential Tribunal: Atiku, Obi, Tinubu to present final addresses

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja is nearing the conclusion of its proceedings, with Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) set to adopt their final written addresses on Tuesday. These addresses precede the judgment date for all petitions related to the February 25 presidential election, including the challenge against President Bola Tinubu’s victory. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election, with 8,794,726 votes, defeating Atiku Abubakar who secured 6,984,520 votes and Mr. Obi with 6,101,533 votes. Disputing the results, both Atiku and Obi filed separate petitions, claiming victory and challenging Tinubu’s eligibility to run for the presidency. The petitioners seek to have the court declare that President Tinubu did not obtain the majority of lawful votes and to withdraw his Certificate of Return. They are also calling for a fresh presidential election, excluding Tinubu, whom they contend was ineligible to participate in the first place. Obi presented 13 witnesses and various documentary exhibits, while Atiku produced 27 witnesses and additional evidence before the court. INEC and President Tinubu each had one witness in their defense, and the APC did not produce any witnesses. The Respondents, including INEC, President Tinubu, and APC, have all submitted written addresses urging the court to dismiss the petitions for lack of merit. They argue that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations beyond reasonable doubt, as required by the law. Atiku’s joint petition with the PDP (marked: CA/PEPC/05/2023) asserts that Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the presidential election was invalid due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022, and contends that he was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes. The proceedings continue as the nation awaits the judgment that will determine the outcome of the closely contested presidential election.