Headline
JUST IN: Supreme Court Receives Conflicting Letters From Chicago University On Tinubu’s Certificate
Published
7 months agoon
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EditorThe Supreme Court, on Monday, stated that there are conflicting letters from the Chicago State University (CSU) on President Bola Tinubu’s certificate.
Justice John Okoro, Chairman of the 7-member panel hearing the application of Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), filed against the victory of President Bola Tinubu, confirmed the development.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of February election but his opponents went to court.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court Fixes Date For Hearing On Atiku’s Petition Against Tinubu
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal had struck out the appeals of Atiku and Peter Obi of Labour Party, but they headed for the apex court, with Atiku asking to filed extra evidence against Tinubu on alleged forgery.
Atiku had sought Tinubu’s academic record from Chicago State University so as to prove his allegation that the president submitted forged documents to INEC.
However, by the times the documents were released the 180 days statutory period within which an election petition should be filed and determined had elapsed.
But Atiku asked the court to grant his appeal to tender fresh evidence, given the nature of the issue. Tinubu kicked against this, saying granting such would amount to abuse of court process.
READ ALSO: Eligibility: Court Okays Suits Seeking To Sack New EFCC Chairman, Olukoyede
Atiku predicated his plea on the grounds that presenting forged documents by any candidate, especially by one for the highest office in the land, is a grave constitutional issue that must not be encouraged.
But Tinubu kicked, arguing that the issue is a pre-election matter amongst others and subsequently prayed the court to deny the grant of the application.
While faulting Tinubu, Atiku submitted that issues of merit ought not to be determined or pronounced upon at the interlocutory stage.
Atiku also pointed out that the presentation of a forged certificate disqualifies a candidate for all time, no matter when presented.
Speaking at the hearing on Monday, Justice Okoro said criminal matters have to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
“But in this case, there are two conflicting letters from the CSU – one authenticating the president’s certificate and another discrediting it. Which do we rely on?,” he asked.
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Headline
List Of Persons On Board Iranian President’s Missing Helicopter
Published
2 hours agoon
May 19, 2024By
EditorA helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was involved in a hard landing while visiting a northern region and his condition is currently unknown.
There were three helicopters in this convoy, two of which were carrying ministers and officials, and they arrived at their destination safely.
According to reports, different rescue groups are moving towards the area to locate the missing helicopter.
DAILY POST reported that it was unclear if Raisi and others on board with him survived the crash.
READ ALSO: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Azerbaijan Offer Help To Search President Raisi’s Helicopter
However, given the unsuitable weather conditions, it may take some time for the rescue team to find the helicopter.
According to World of Statistics, those onboard the helicopter when the incident occurred include Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, representative of Iranian Supreme Leader to East Azerbaijan.
Headline
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Azerbaijan Offer Help To Search President Raisi’s Helicopter
Published
2 hours agoon
May 19, 2024By
EditorIranian search and rescue teams were scouring a fog-shrouded mountainside after a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi went missing in an “accident” on Sunday, state media said.
Fears grew for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the helicopter carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in East Azerbaijan province, reports said.
“An accident happened to the helicopter carrying the president” in the Jolfa region of the western province, state television said, while some officials described the incident as a “hard landing”.
“The harsh weather conditions and heavy fog have made it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the accident site,” said one state broadcaster.
More than 40 rescue teams using search dogs and drones were sent to the site, reported the IRNA news agency.
Raisi was visiting the province where he inaugurated a dam project together with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, on the border between the two countries.
Raisi’s convoy included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely,” according to Tasnim news agency.
READ ALSO: Iranian President: Hamas Raises ‘Great Concern’ Over Helicopter Crash
Foreign countries were closely following the search effort at a time of high regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas since October 7 that has drawn in other armed groups in the Middle East.
A US State Department spokesman said: “We are closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister.
“We have no further comment at this time.”
An Iranian Red Crescent team was seen walking up a slope in thick fog and drizzling rain, while other live footage showed worshippers reciting prayers in the holy city of Mashhad, Raisi’s hometown.
In neighbouring Iraq, Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani “instructed the interior ministry and the Iraqi Red Crescent and other relevant authorities to offer available resources… to aid in the search”.
Azeri President Aliyev said in a post on X that “we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran”.
“Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation,” he said, noting that his country “stands ready to offer any assistance needed”.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Helicopter Carrying Iran’s President Crashes
The accident happened in the mountainous protected forest area of Dizmar near the town of Varzaghan, said the official IRNA news agency.
Military personnel along with the Revolutionary Guards and police had also deployed teams to the area, said army chief-of-staff Mohammad Bagheri.
Iran’s Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi said medical resources had been dispatched.
The reformist Shargh daily also reported that “the helicopter carrying the president crashed” while two other helicopters had landed safely.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said one of the helicopters “made a hard landing due to bad weather conditions” and that it was “difficult to establish communication” with the aircraft.
Raisi has been president of the Islamic Republic since 2021 when he succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, for a term during which Iran has faced crisis and conflict.
READ ALSO: Iran Hangs 53-year-old Woman, Six Others
He took the reins of a country in the grip of a deep social crisis and an economy strained by US sanctions against Tehran over its contested nuclear programme.
Iran saw a wave of mass protests triggered by the death in custody of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022 after her arrest for allegedly flouting dress rules for women.
In March 2023, regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a surprise deal that restored diplomatic relations.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday voiced “great concern” after Sunday incident, offering to help with the response.
“We affirm that the Kingdom stands by the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran in these difficult circumstances and its readiness to provide any assistance that the Iranian agencies need,” the foreign ministry of the Gulf kingdom, a longtime rival of Iran, said in a statement.
READ ALSO: Nigerians Knock Seyi Tinubu For Preaching Endurance Over Economic Hardship
The war in Gaza that broke out on October 7 sent regional tensions soaring again and a series of tit-for-tat escalations led to Tehran launching hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April 2024.
In a speech following Sunday’s dam inauguration, Raisi emphasised Iran’s support for Palestinians, a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“We believe that Palestine is the first issue of the Muslim world, and we are convinced that the people of Iran and Azerbaijan always support the people of Palestine and Gaza and hate the Zionist regime,” said Raisi.
Raisi, born in 1960 in northeast Iran’s holy city of Mashhad, served as Tehran’s prosecutor-general from 1989 to 1994, deputy chief of the Judicial Authority for a decade from 2004, and then national prosecutor-general in 2014.
His black turban signifies direct descent from the Prophet Mohammed, and state media has referred to him by the senior title of ayatollah in the Shiite clerical hierarchy.
Headline
Iranian President: Hamas Raises ‘Great Concern’ Over Helicopter Crash
Published
2 hours agoon
May 19, 2024By
EditorHamas has issued a statement voicing “great concern” after a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other Iranian officials crashed on Sunday, CNN reports.
Recall that a helicopter carrying Raisi was involved in a hard landing while visiting a northern region and his condition is currently unknown.
Details about the crash are still unclear, as rescue groups are moving towards the area to locate the missing helicopter.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Helicopter Carrying Iran’s President Crashes
However, Hamas has expressed “solidarity” towards the president and the “brotherly Iranian people.”
The Hamas statement reads partly: “In this painful incident, we express our full solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership, government, and people, and we ask Allah Almighty to protect and ensure the safety of the Iranian President and his accompanying delegation, and to keep all harm away from the brotherly Iranian people.”
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