Headlines
If My VP Nominee Decides to Step Down Within Timeframe, That Won’t Breach Any Law
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Monday night, cleared the air about the status of his choice of running mate, a former National Welfare Secretary of the APC, Kabiru Ibrahim Masari, whom he insisted was duly nominated, but could choose to step down within stipulated time, and would not have breached any known laws, rules or regulations.
Tinubu, who maintained that Masari remained his choice as running mate and also denied sending his name in as a placeholder, however, said consultations with President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders of the ruling APC were still ongoing.
This is as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday, fired warning shots at politicians, saying their new invention – the use of placeholder – to sidestep its deadline was not only unknown to law, but alien to democratic practice.
It warned that there were no forms or space in its forms for Placeholders, stating categorically that as far as it was concerned, the parties fielding candidates for next year’s presidential election, have submitted the names of their running mates as at the July 17 deadline as contained in the schedule of activities by the commission.
Responding to comments by INEC’s National Commissioner of Information and Chairman, Voter Education, Festus Okoye, while on ARISE TV, Tinubu’s Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, maintained that Masari was his principal’s choice of vice-presidential candidate for 2023 general election and the situation remained so, despite ongoing consultations.
He said: “Without taking issues with the INEC National Commissioner, I just like to state the situation as it relates to the presidential candidate of the APC, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“And it is that Asíwájú Tinubu has duly completed his nomination forms, including giving the particulars of his running mate. He has returned the completed nomination forms to INEC. He even returned the forms two days ahead of schedule.
“I don’t know about a placeholder. This is the coinage of the media. I know he has picked a running mate.”
He, however, reiterated that consultations were still ongoing between President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu, his running mate, Masari and the APC national leadership.
Conversely, Rahman hinted that, if Masari, on his own volition, decides to step down as vice presidential candidate within the stipulated time frame given by INEC, no provisions of the constitution and the electoral laws could be viewed to have been observed in the breach.
He said, “I must add, however, that there are ongoing consultations involving President Buhari, the party’s governors and the APC leadership with Asíwájú Tinubu and his running mate. If following these consultations, the running mate decides, for instance, that he wants to stand down in the interest of the party and the country, I think it’s only fair and appropriate to allow him deal with that as long as it is done within the spheres of the electoral law and the timeframe for that, given by INEC.
“I think it’s within the prerogative of the running mate to take his own decision and to say, for instance, that he would like to stand down because he feels doing so will serve the candidate and the party better than he remaining on the ticket. And that this is done in line with the provision of the law and INEC guidelines and timetable. This is the way it is.”
INEC had on Monday said the idea of placeholder was a Nigerian invention, which had no place in the constitution or any legal foothold, adding also that there was no provision for such option in the forms submitted by the parties.
This nonetheless, INEC has commenced a five-day musical concert from yesterday, June 20 to Saturday, June 25, with the sole objective of enhancing and mobilising more registration of voters in the ongoing exercise.
Speaking on the Morning Show, Okoye, hinted at how political parties could substitute its vice-presidential candidates, a process not as easy as it was originally made to seem by the parties.
Some of the presidential candidates had submitted to INEC, what they referred to as space or place holders.
Deadline for all the 18 political parties to submit the names of their presidential candidates and running mates had elapsed on June 17 2022.
Thus, with the use of placeholder, it presupposes that such vice-presidential candidates would be substituted later as they were only put in to beat the deadline provided by the Electoral Act.
But, while the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, beat the deadline and submitted the name of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate, the likes of Labour Party (LP) and the APC are yet to pick their running mates.
In a desperate bid to beat deadline, therefore, Tinubu, submitted the name of Masari, while Peter Obi gave INEC the name of his Campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe.
Okoye, who stated the running mates could only be substituted by writing to the commission, and attaching a sworn affidavit, said, “The law says that as a presidential candidate, you must nominate an associate to run with you and as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission is concerned, the presidential candidates have submitted their associates to run with them in the presidential election.
“As far as we are concerned, there’s no form submitted by the presidential candidates, where they said, ‘we’re submitting this person’s name as a place or space holder’. The issue of space or place holder is a unique Nigerian invention, that has no place in our constitutional and legal framework.
“Politically, parties’ candidates have submitted names of associates to run with them and that is the position of the law as at today and nothing has changed. For there to be a substitution of candidate, the vice-presidential candidate must write to INEC, with a sworn affidavit, stating that he is withdrawing from the race within the time frame provided by the law. That’s the only way there can be a substitution of candidates.”
Okoye also told THISDAY that though the commission was not aware of any court order on extension for registration, INEC would do everything within the law to mobilise more voter registration within the period under the view, adding that the musical mobilisation was to enhance more Nigerians to register between June 25 and June 25 .
“The commission will, towards the end of June, meet to review the voter registration exercise and determine the way forward. As the INEC chairman said during the musical concert in Lagos, the Abuja musical concert is aimed at mobilising all prospective Nigerians, who have come of age to go and register.”
The musical mobilisation concert, Okoye, added, was expected to last five working days
An elderstatesman and legal icon, Chief Afe Babalola, has bagged the 2024 Best Nigerian Patriot Award for his outstanding performance in humanitarian activities, provision of quality education as well as promotion of peace.
The award was given at an induction ceremony and technical workshop for the inauguration and certification of UN Ambassadors for Peace on Thursday in Abuja.
The event with the theme, “Effective Approach to Anger Management and Tolerance as Panacea for Global Peace and Sustainable Development,” was organised by the Association of UN Ambassadors for Peace (ASUNAP).
The award was organised in collaboration with The Mighty One Empowerment Foundation (TEMOEFA) to support the United Nations efforts in promoting global peace and ethnic tolerance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 10 persons were also inducted and certified as UN Ambassadors for Peace.
A former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, who received the award on behalf of Babalola, said the association had done considerable research to come up with the nomination.
“It is one thing for individuals to be playing some roles, but it’s another thing for these roles to be recognised and to be appreciated by the society.
“As a scholar and a researcher, I know that when you do a thorough research into what individuals have contributed in this particular area, one would see that it would be difficult to find someone who has contributed more than Are Afe Babalola.
“This is quite evident from his forays into different areas of national life and continental life of Africa,” he said.
Adeniran called on Nigerians to key into the humanitarian gestures carried out by Babalola.
According to him, if more Nigerians embrace peace and conflict resolution, a lot would be achieved for the country and for humanity.
“This is because there is nothing as precious as peace; without peace, you will not have a stable polity.
“Without peace, there will be no development and love among the people.
“You will not be able to advance to the level where you can say you have reached the optimum.
“The ultimate goal of society is to actualise the potential of citizens, and to be able to get the very best for people.
“I will certainly encourage and plead with Nigerians to key into this, to do their very best, starting from the local, family, community and societal level,” he said.
Also speaking, the Global Director of Interfaith for ASUNAP, Emmanuel Emeka, said the event was aimed at recognising Nigerians in order to promote peace in the society.
Emeka said the association had holistically and comprehensively taken the data of Babalola’s performance, his impact in Nigeria and beyond and found him worthy of the award.
He said that voting was conducted across the nooks and crannies of the country, adding that his name came up with the highest number of votes among nominations.
He said the newly inducted ambassadors would be involved in conflict resolution and peacemaking.
In a keynote address, the Guest Speaker, Prof. Casmiar Obialom, charged the ambassadors not to give war a chance.
He noted that the cumulative effect of not implementing a Mrshall Plan of Action to abate the incidence of impunity had been the root cause of conflicts in society.
Among Nigerians inducted into the association were retired Brig.-Gen. Nuhu Milah, retired Commandant Anthony Nwegbo, Prof. Abiodun Ajibade, Maxwell Abubu, Mrs Comfort Arinze and Dr Raphael Gajere.
Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno State has inaugurated three boards in the health sector and ordered a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s healthcare system to address pressing challenges.
The boards inaugurated on Thursday at the Council Chamber of the Government House, Maiduguri, include the Borno State Hospital Management Board, the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Board and the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital Management Board.
Speaking during the ceremony, Zulum said that reforms are necessary to strengthen the delivery of healthcare services, particularly at the primary level.
He added that “we are currently witnessing pressure on our secondary health facilities because primary healthcare is weak.
I want you to assess all hospitals individually and identify challenges related to staffing, equipment and medical supplies so that we can address the issues holistically.”
The governor also directed the boards to work toward resolving the problem of inadequate facilities, staffing and essential medical supplies.
Zulum also inaugurated the Borno State Local Government Service Commission Board, which comprises a chairman and four permanent commissioners.
He emphasised that the reforms and inaugurated boards are part of his administration’s commitment to providing accessible and efficient healthcare to the people.
Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, the Chairman of the Kashim Ibrahim Teaching Hospital Management Board and Alhaji Modu Alhaji Musa, the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, expressed gratitude for the honour given to them to serve and pledged to justify the confidence reposed in them.
The Kaduna State Water Services Regulatory Commission (KADWREC) says it is partnering media practitioners towards revamping water services in the state.
Mr Dogara Bashir, the Executive Chairman of KADWREC, disclosed this on Monday at a one-day workshop organised for media practitioners on regulation of ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’ (WASH) activities held in Kaduna.
Bashir said the commission was aware of the importance of the role media practitioners played in the society.
He stated that the workshop was to provide an avenue to liaise with them as important stakeholders on water supply and sanitation services in the state.
Bashir said: “As media practitioners, we believe you are a gateway to the citizens so, the workshop would acquaint you with some of the regulations already in place so that you can in turn transmit it to the public
“The state of water services in Kaduna State is in dire need of attention and the State Water Corporation and KADWREC were established towards addressing the seeming challenges.
“The commission is mandated to ensure better service delivery and regulation of water and sanitation services in the State.
“The idea is that once the regulations are developed, we send them to the State Ministry of Justice to gazette and then we get the state government to endorse and give the go ahead to commence the implementation of the regulations
“We intend to implement them fully come January, 2025 God willing, as we have embarked on advocacy activities having gone to zones 1 and 2 where we talked to traditional rulers, security agencies and the Judiciary.”
He disclosed that a special Court has already been attached to the commission by the Chief Judge of the State for service providers who may likely violate regulations.
The chairman further said that amongst the commission’s objectives include ensuring security, reliability and quality of service in the production and delivery of water to the consumers as well making regulations to control the sinking of boreholes.
Others included; maximising access to water services by promoting and facilitating consumer connections to distribution systems in urban and rural areas.
According to Bashir, they also include ensuring that regulatory decision-making has regards to all the relevant health, safety, environmental and social legislation applying to the water sector.
Bashir further said that the commission collaborate with the relevant state and federal agencies on water policies.
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