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Appeal Court Grants Atiku, Obi Leave To Inspect Election Materials

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The Court of Appeal on Friday granted leave to Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, to inspect documents used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of the Feb. 25 Presidential election.

The permission was sequel to two separate Exparte Applications filed by Abubakar and Obi, who came second and third respectively in the presidential election won by Sen. Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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Abubakar and Obi are alleging substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 in addition to violence and rigging which they claimed marred the conduct and outcome of the election.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Atiku, Obi Approach Court, Demand Election Materials Inspection

They had at separate media briefing on Thursday in Abuja, vowed to ventilate their grievances at the soon to be constituted Presidential Election Petition Tribunal had approached the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, for permission to inspect the materials used by INEC in the conduct of the election.

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Other respondents in the suit are the PDP and LP, INEC , Tinubu and APC are the 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.

Atiku’s lawyer, Adedamola Faloku, in arguing the motion prayed the court to grant the Exparte application brought before it pursuant to Section 146 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022, Paragraph 47 (1, 2 &3) of the first Schedule of the Electoral Act of 2022 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the Court as referenced by Section 6 (6) A & B of the 1999 Constitution.

The application which was predicated on six grounds, sought for seven reliefs, adding that a schedule of the documents to interrogate the respondent (INEC) was also contained in the application supported by a 12 paragraph affidavit.

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Counsel to the applicant adopted all the averments contained in the affidavit and urged the Court to grant the application.

In the other application, Obi’s lawyer, Mr Alex Ejeseme, SAN, also prayed the appellate court to grant the reliefs sought in the motion exparte in the interest of justice.

He stated that the motion was brought pursuant to Section 86 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended Section 146 of the Electoral Act 2022 and paragraphs 47 (1 and 54) of the first Schedule of the Electoral Act 2022 under the inherent jurisdiction of the Court.

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Ejeseme also informed the Court that they had depose a 15 paragraphs affidavit and are relying on all the averments therein in urging the court to grant the application.

READ ALSO: Presidential Election: Tinubu, Atiku, Obi In War Of Words Over Victory Claims

After listening to the applicants, the presiding judge, Justice Joseph Ikyegh subsequently granted the request of the two applicants.

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Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had declared Tinubu winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election after securing majority of votes cast at the poll.

Besides, Tinubu met the constitutional benchmark of scoring 25 per cent in two thirds of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory according to INEC.
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Full List: 3 African Countries Ranked Among World’s Best Countries

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Three African countries: Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa have earned spots among the world’s top-ranked countries in the 2024 Best Countries Rankings, published by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and global marketing firm WPP.

According to the report, Egypt leads the continent at 35th globally, followed by Morocco at 39th and South Africa at 40th.

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The rankings are determined not by economic statistics alone but by global perceptions.

Over 17,000 people—including business decision-makers, university-educated elites, and general citizens—evaluated 87 countries across 73 different attributes, grouped into ten key categories: Adventure, Agility, Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Movers, Open for Business, Power, Quality of Life, and Social Purpose.

READ ALSO: Top 10 Countries With The Fastest Internet Speed In 2025

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To qualify for inclusion, countries needed to meet certain thresholds in GDP, tourism, and foreign direct investment (FDI). Final scores were correlated with GDP per capita (PPP), providing a snapshot of a nation’s perceived prosperity and global standing.

This project is based on a proprietary perceptions survey that reaches thousands of citizens across the globe,” said Elliott Davis, a reporter for U.S. News & World Report.

How a nation is viewed by others can play a big role in its global standing.”

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Switzerland took the top spot for the third consecutive year, praised for its stability, entrepreneurship, and high quality of life.

READ ALSO:Top 10 Countries With The Fastest Internet Speed In 2025

“It’s no surprise that a stable, consistent country like Switzerland would top our rankings seven times in nine years,” Davis added.

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The United States made its highest-ever appearance in the rankings at third, driven by improvements in its “Open for Business” and “Movers” subrankings, while Japan claimed second place for its innovation, influence, and advanced economy.

Other noteworthy shifts included China, which rose to 16th, and Ukraine, which fell 12 places to 80th—the biggest drop in this year’s report.

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Former UK PM Rishi Sunak Joins Goldman Sachs As Advisor

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Former UK Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined investment bank Goldman Sachs as a senior advisor, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sunak, who was prime minister between October 2022 and July 2024, has returned to the bank where he began his career.

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“I am excited to welcome Rishi back to Goldman Sachs in his new capacity as a Senior Advisor,” said Goldman Sachs chairman and chief executive David Solomon.

He will advise clients “on the macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape”, Solomon added.

READ ALSO: Hosepipe Ban Announced In Parts Of UK As Drought Hits Harder

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Sunak was the third UK prime minister to take office in 2022, following Liz Truss’s rapid demise and Boris Johnson’s resignation before that.

After he took office, Sunak faced criticism from political opponents over his vast family wealth and past career in investment funds, with some arguing that he was out of touch with the general population during a rampant cost-of-living crisis.

The Conservatives suffered a landslide defeat to Labour in July 2024, ending 14 years in power.

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Police Reveal Likely Cause Of Diogo Jota Car Crash

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Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota was likely speeding when his car veered off a motorway in Spain last week killing him and his brother, Spanish police said on Tuesday.

An ongoing investigation is examining “the marks left by one of the vehicle’s wheels… everything points to a possible excessive speed beyond the road’s speed limit”, the Civil Guard said.

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READ ALSO: BREAKING: Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Is Dead

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