7 December 2007
Posted to the web 7 December 2007
Abdulfattah Olajide
Abuja
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday conferred the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) on four scholars who distinguished them-selves in their fields of study.
They are Professors Idris Mohammed, Tolu Olugbemi, Jacob Olupona and Cornelius Orangun.
Speaking during the award ceremony at the State House, Abuja, President Yar'Adua described the recipients as invaluable assets to Nigeria and urged them to join hands with government to realise its Vision 2020.
The President commen-ded the governing board of the NNMA for making it a credible national institution, adding that the body had continued to challenge the credibility of Nigerians at home and abroad, with the high standard of the award. Full Story
Friday, December 7, 2007
ar'Adua Confers NNMA Awards on Four Scholars - Daily Trust
Panel Admits 844 Documents From Yar'Adua - Daily Champion
Posted to the web 7 December 2007
Mebrim Uchechukwu
Abuja
PRESIDENTIAL Election Petitions Tribunal yesterday fixed January 28, for adoption of written addresses from all parties in the petition filed by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and former head of state, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, challenging the election of president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2007 presidential election.
The panel also admitted 844 documents as tendered by Yar'Adua as results from all the polling stations across the country in the presidential poll.
The petitioners had opposed the election documents sought to be tendered by Yar'Adua from all the states of the federation and the federal capital territory on the grounds that they were not earlier pleaded in the respondent's statement of defence.
The panel, despite stiff opposition from the petitioners admitted the documents presented by counsel to President Yar'Adua, Chief Wole Olanipekun, and that presented by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as the Nigerian Police.
Ahead of the adoption date, the Panel of court of Appeal Justices headed by Justice James Ogebe gave the respondents 21 days to effect service of their written addresses on the petitioners while the petitioner was given 20 days to reply, after which the respondents will have seven days to reply on point of law.
While Chief Olanipekun furnished the panel with the certificate of return of Yar'Adua and Jonathan as president and vice president of the federal republic of Nigeria respectively, INEC represented by one of their counsel, Amaechi Nwaiwi (SAN), tendered results of the said election from the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory, Abuja .
Against this backdrop, Chief Olanipeku, argued that Yar'Adua won the election overwhelmingly
The police on their part, tendered guideline for the 2007 election, for the conduct of the force.
Meanwhile, the Atiku's lawyers including Chief Emeka Ngige and Festus Keyamo did not raise any objection to the results of the elections that was conducted in Lagos state. Full Story
PDP Chairmanship - Yar'Adua Jonathan Network Backs Iwuanyanwu - Daily Champion
7 December 2007
Posted to the web 7 December 2007
Emma Okereke
Lagos
The Yar'Adua/Jonathan Presidential Worldwide Network has endorsed the candidature of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, for the post of national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing his experience, political acumen and humility as virtues that would widen our democracy.
The network, led by its national chairman, Chief John Osuala, while on a visit to the front politician in Owerri, expressed the group's determination to ensure chief Iwuanyanwu's emergence as the next chairman of the party.
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He emphasized that it is important that, he works with President Umaru, Yar'Adua whom he worked very hard to deliver as president to realize his seven-point agenda for the country.
"It's important he works with President Yar'Adua. If you have a humane president and a humane national chairman of our party the polity will be better for it, Chief Osuala said, adding as far as we are concerned we have only two candidates - Chief Iwuanyanwu and others".
He, therefore, advised the other candidates to step down for Chief Iwuanyanwu whose experience in politics has been growing since the National Council for Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) days.
Besides, he declared that the Igbo would not present anybody with problems so as to avoid being ridiculed.
Speaking also, another member of the group, Prince Taminagbo described Chief Iwuanyanwu as the best candidate, saying the people of the south-south and their south-east counterparts have decided to enthrone the best candidate for the office. Full Story
Tribunal - Yar'Adua Closes Defence - Daily Trust
7 December 2007
Posted to the web 7 December 2007
Sunday Ejike Benjamin
Abuja
President Umaru Musa Yar'adua yesterday closed his defence at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal after tendering all his documents for evidence.
Hearing has been adjourned to January 28, 2008 after the presiding judge, James Ogebe, ordered the presidential candidates of the Action Congress (AC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Alhaji Atiku Abuba-kar and General Muhammadu Buhari to reply to Yar'adua and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) addresses within 20 days of receipt for adoption. Full Story
Bush to welcome Nigerian president Dec 13
US President George W. Bush will welcome Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua on December 13 for talks on issues including unrest in Somalia and Sudan's Darfur province, the White House said Thursday.
"This visit will provide an opportunity for the president to be briefed by President Yar'Adua on his experiences during his first six months in office," Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.
"The two leaders will discuss electoral reform and related issues, energy, and the situation in the Niger Delta. They will also discuss the ongoing crises in Somalia and Darfur," she said.
Bush announced one week ago that he and First Lady Laura Bush would travel to sub-Saharan Africa in early 2008, the final full year of his presidency.
source: http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=071206193952.u4ccj7xk.php
Pressure mounts on Yar’Adua to drop Aondoakaa
PRESIDENT Umaru Yar’Adua has of late been facing pressure from different groups and individuals, all canvassing for the removal of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa (SAN).
Those calling for the removal of the minister from office were said to have expressed worries that some of his actions and decisions had been making the Yar’Adua government rather unpopular.
The pressure on Yar’Adua is coming on the heels of moves by a Kaduna-based group, Northern Coalition for Democracy and Justice (NCDJ) for the removal of the Attorney-General of the Federation at a meeting with President Yar’Adua.
Recently, the Delta State Elders Forum led by Chief Edwin Clark had also called on President Yar’Adua to relieve Aondoakaa of his post claiming that the minister was not interested in fighting corruption.
Clark was reported to have hinged the call by his group for the removal of Aondoakaa on his attitude to the anti-corruption crusade as he was alleged to be protecting some former governors accused of corrupt practices.
The taking over of the management board of NICON Insurance has been cited as one of the latest reasons for the increased pressure on President Yar’Adua for Aondoakaa’s removal.
However, the Kaduna based NCDJ which spoke with the Nigerian Tribune through its National Secretary, Mallam Umar Farouk, and the Director of Publicity, Yunana Shibkau, said it had scheduled a meeting with the President essentially to press for Aondoakaa’s removal as justice minister.
I won April polls, Yar'Adua tells tribunal - Vanguard
PRESIDENT Umaru Yar’Adua, yesterday, asked the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja to dismiss two major petitions challenging his emergence as the winner of the April 21 presidential poll, saying his electoral victory was not only overwhelming but also landslide.
The two petitions are those filed by former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who contested the presidential poll on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and that of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who contested on the platform of the Action Congress (AC).
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Oluwole Olanipekun (SAN), led a team of legal practitioners to push Yar’Adua’s case before the tribunal.
He tendered only the final presidential election results officially released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) where President Yar'Adua was credited with 24,638,063 to beat 24 other contenders.
Maj.-Gen Buhari came second with 6,605,299 while his Action Congress (AC) counterpart, ex-Vice President Abubakar, polled 2,637,848 votes.
Buhari and Abubakar through their counsel opposed to the admissibility of the two documents on the grounds that Yar’Adua never pleaded them in his defence.
But Chief Olanipekun cited the cliche of the goose and gander to get the documents into the court’s record.
He told the tribunal that most of the documents admitted by the tribunal from the two petitioners were not pleaded, yet they were admitted in evidence. He urged the tribunal to also extend the gesture enjoyed by both Buhari and Atiku to him.
Chairman of the five-member tribunal, Justice James Ogebe, ruled that in view of the fact that the documents were listed although not pleaded, he would allow them tendered as exhibits “for whatever they are worth.”
Chief Olanipekun who adopted all the statements of the witnesses in support of Yar’Adua’s replies to Atiku and Buhari’s petitions suddenly closed his case.
The entire defence of Yar’Adua to the two major petitions did not last 30 minutes.
He said the strength of his case was not only in the documents tendered before the tribunal but more in the address to be submitted and adopted on January 28, 2008.
Earlier, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also opened and closed its case yesterday, tendering only the list of polling stations and electoral wards in the 36 states of the Federation.
The commission was represented by a team of lawyers led by Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN).
Both Abubakar and Buhari also objected to the tendering of the exhibits on similar grounds but were overruled.
Besides the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Police also opened and closed their cases yesterday.
Buhari, in his petition, had joined them as respondents including ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on the grounds that the ex-President abused his powers under the constitution by deploying both the police and soldiers for the purpose of the election.
He had argued that the constitution did not allow him to deploy soldiers and police except during emergencies. Full Story
