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PHOTOS: Tight Security As Presidential Election Petition Tribunal Begins Sitting

Published

12 months ago

May 8, 2023

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, has held its inaugural session, a legal ritual that precedes the actual hearing of petitions seeking to nullify the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

At the session, a five-member panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal that will hear and determine all the five petitions challenging the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of the presidential election, were revealed.

Whereas the panel will be headed by the Presiding Justice (PJ) of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, Justice Haruna Tsammani, other members of the panel are; Justice Stephen Adah (PJ Asaba Division), Justice Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf (Asaba Division), Justice Boluokuromo Ugo (Kano Division), as well as Justice Abba Mohammed (Ibadan Division).

In his opening remarks, the Presiding Justice, Tsammani, urged lawyers representing all the petitioners to avoid sensational comments, stressing that the court would not tolerate time wasting tactics and technicalities.

He said, “As we commence hearing of the petitions, let us avoid making sensational comments. Let us consider the safety and interest of the country, that is paramount.

“We should avoid unnecessary time wasting applications ajf objections so that we can look at substance of the case rather than unnecessary technicalities.

“Let us corporate with each other so that every one will be satisfied that justice has been done.”

Responding, lead counsel to the President-elect, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, assured the court of the maximum corporation of his team, saying there was need for the matter to be determined without recourse to unnecessary technicalities.

Likewise, head of the team of lawyers representing the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, said they would do everything possible to assist the court to do justice.

On his part, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, who is representing the Labour Party and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, noted that the petitions were of great public interest, saying “at the end of the day, I am very confident that the petitions will impact on Nigeria’s jurisprudence and constitutionalism.”

“We will do everything possible to assist your Lordships,” he added.

Likewise, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, through its lawyer, Mr. A. B. Mahmood, SAN, expressed confidence of the electoral body on the ability of the court to do justice on all the petitions before it.

“My lords, we are confident that at the end of the day, justice will be done,” Mahmood, SAN, stated.

Meanwhile, the court said it would only conduct pre-hearing session on three of the petition, while the remaining two petitions would be heard on Tuesday.

The three petitions the court said it would hear, were the ones the Action Alliance, AA, filed against INEC, that of the All Peoples Party, APP, as well as the petition by Obi and the LP.

While the remaining petitions are the ones filed by the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, and Atiku of the PDP.
VANGUARD

Headline

10 Killed As two Military Helicopters Collide

Published

6 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Editor

Photo: file copy

Two Malaysian military helicopters collided and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 crew onboard, the country’s rescue agency said.

“The two helicopters collided during flight training. All 10 victims on board have been confirmed dead by the medical officers,” Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, senior operations commander from the fire and rescue department said.

Footage shared online showed several helicopters flying low in a formation over the Lumut naval stadium in a flypast rehearsal ahead of the navy fleet’s open day celebrations in May.

One of the choppers was seen clipping the rear rotor of another helicopter, causing both to go into a tailspin and crash.

The two helicopters involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139, the rescue agency said.

Photos showed the Eurocopter model heavily mangled in the wreckage on the naval base stadium track with rescue personnel surrounding it as well as various debris.

The AgustaWestland helicopter crashed at the naval base’s swimming pool area.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent his condolences to the families of the victims, saying “the nation mourns the heart-wrenching and soul-wrenching tragedy”.

“I was informed that an immediate investigation will be carried out by the Ministry of Defense, especially TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy), to find the cause of the crash,” he said.

Incidents involving helicopters are not uncommon in the Southeast Asian nation.

Last month, a Malaysian coast guard helicopter crashed in the Strait of Malacca with no fatalities.

In 2016, a deputy minister was among those who died after a Eurocopter AS350 crashed in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

AFP

Headline

Israeli Drone Shot Down Over Lebanon – IDF

Published

9 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Editor

The Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, on Monday said an Israeli drone was shot down over Lebanon on Sunday night.

Writing on Telegram, the IDF said a surface-to-air missile was launched at the drone that was operating in Lebanese airspace, adding that the drone was hit and had landed in Lebanon.

It added that fighter jets struck the missile launch site.

Fighting broke out with Lebanon on Sunday, with the Israeli army announcing that two shells had been fired in the direction of the village of Rosh Hanikra in northern Israel on the Mediterranean Sea.

The Israeli Army attacked the locations from which the shots were fired and fighter jets had also attacked terror infrastructure north-east of Nabatieh, it said.

Previously, fighter jets had also fired on targets belonging to the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.

Both Hezbollah and the military arm of Palestinian militant organisation Hamas claimed responsibility for attacks on Israel on Sunday.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war in October, deaths and injuries have resulted from daily firing on the border between Lebanon and Israel.

Headline

VIDEO: First Female Transgender Mosque Opens In Bangladesh

Published

22 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Editor

The world’s first female transgender mosque has reportedly opened in Bangladesh.

In the video shared by DW, some of the worshippers who transitioned from being males to females were seen observing the Muslim prayers.

It was further gathered that the land where the mosque was built, was donated by the government. The transgender Muslims expressed excitement over the development, adding that they are happy they will live and be buried like every other person.

Watch the video below…