Forward of the Might 29 swearing-in, President-elect Bola Tinubu and his celebration are confronted with the problem of the management of the tenth Nationwide Meeting, on prime of rising variety of petitions from the opposition.
Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Get together( PDP), has filed a petition, asking the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to disqualify Tinubu from being sworn in as president on Might 29 on the bottom that he has twin citizenship.
Atiku stated Tinubu acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea, including that he’s constitutionally not certified to have contested for the workplace of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He stated the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect can’t stand, including that “Tinubu holds twin citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea. That the petitioners shall depend on the 2nd respondent’s Worldwide Passport of the Republic of Guinea together with his identify there on.”
Atiku added that Tinubu in his affidavit in help of his private particulars submitted to the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee didn’t disclose any of those parts of constitutional disqualification said in paragraph 1.2 (I) AB’s 1.2(I) within the petition.
Tinubu, who lately arrived in Nigeria from a three-week relaxation after the 2023 Presidential election, has been assembly inside main stakeholders of the celebration, particularly candidates within the management of the tenth Nationwide Meeting.
BusinessDay gathered that though the celebration is but to conclude preparations on the zoning of the Nationwide Meeting management, Tinubu is taking steps to avert a repeat of the 2015 expertise the place the APC misplaced the Nationwide Meeting management to the opposition.
He moved into the Defence Home on Tuesday at Maitama, the standard residence of incoming Presidents, the place he has continued to carry essential conferences and different engagements forward of his inauguration as President.
After one of many conferences, Abdullahi Adamu, nationwide chairman of APC, merely requested Nigerians to be affected person with the celebration over the zoning of the tenth Nationwide Meeting management.
“Nigerians needs to be affected person with the celebration. We must always wait. What is sweet for the nation is what is sweet for us as a celebration. We’re solely celebrating the victory of our celebration now,” he advised journalists.
The assembly was attended by Kashim Shettima, the Vice-President-elect; AbdulRasak Abdulrahaman, governor of Kwara State; Abubakar Kyari, APC deputy nationwide chairman (North); Emma Eneukwu, deputy nationwide chairman (South); Iyiola Omisore, nationwide secretary.
Others on the assembly have been Ahmed Lawan, Senate President; Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy Senate President; Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the Home of Representatives; and Yusuf Zailani, speaker of Kaduna State Home of Meeting.
Inside sources on the assembly stated the Senate presidency might go to the South-South (a Christian), whereas the speakership might go to the North-West (a Muslim).
They stated the North-Central is being thought-about for the deputy Senate presidency, whereas a lawmaker from the South-East might turn out to be the following deputy speaker.
Not less than 10 senators-elect have signified curiosity within the Senate presidency. They’re, Uzor Orji Kalu, the Senate chief whip; Godswill Akpabio, former minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Barau Jibrin, chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation; Lawan, the present Senate president; Danjuma Goje, former governor of Gombe; Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo governor; Abdul-Aziz Yari, former Zamfara governor; Dave Umahi, outgoing governor of Ebonyi; and Ali Ndume, former Senate chief.
People who have expressed curiosity within the speakership of the Home of Representatives embody: Ahmed Wase, deputy speaker; Gagdi (APC, Plateau), Benjamin Kalu (APC, Abia); Aminu Jaji (APC, Zamfara); Makki Yalleman (APC-Jigawa), Tajudeen Abass (Kaduna); Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), Muktar Betara (APC, Borno), Abdulraheem Olawuyi (APC, Kwara) and Miriam Onuoha (APC, Imo).
Learn additionally: 10th NASS: Coalition tasks members-elect on ceding deputy speaker to S/south
Whereas lawmakers-elect are jostling for the highest posts within the Nationwide Meeting, the result of the presidential election remains to be being challenged by a number of opposition events.
Atiku had on Wednesday lampooned Tinubu, describing his id as questionable.
Atiku, whereas responding to Tinubu and APC’s reply to his petition difficult the method and the result of the February 25 presidential election, stated that not like Tinubu, he’s unencumbered by medicine and id scandals.
Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, a senior advocate of Nigeria, had filed the response to Tinubu’s reply to his earlier petition, the place Atiku insisted that Tinubu is constitutionally disabled from contesting for the workplace of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He alleged that Tinubu is unfit to steer Nigeria having been indicted for drug-related offences in america of America and made to forfeit a sum of $460,000 as a compromise settlement.
The PDP presidential candidate justified why the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect can’t stand, including that towards the regulation, “Tinubu holds twin citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea”.
He additionally accused Tinubu of not disclosing info of his constitutional {qualifications} in his Type EC9 submitted to the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee, opposite to the provisions of the regulation.
