STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

President Bola Tinubu sympathizes with the Uwechue family and the Nigerian legal community over the passing of Chief George Uwechue, Owelle of Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State.

The late Uwechue was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Chairman of Nigeria’s Body of Benchers. He died at the age of 85.

President Tinubu describes the death of the elder statesman as a sad loss, extolling his contributions to the legal profession as well as to Nigeria.

“Chief Uwechue was an outstanding lawyer. He was also a leader through and through. He will be sorely missed for his deep insights and legal acumen, in addition to the incredible contributions he made to his community, state, Nigeria, and beyond. May God Almighty grant him rest and his family the strength to bear this painful loss,” the President says.

The late Chief Uwechue was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1993. He remained a member of the Inner Bar for three decades. In 1990, he was appointed a member of the Body of Benchers; a position he held until he was appointed Chairman of the Body of Benchers in 2010.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

November 21, 2023

PRESS STATEMENT

Re: Akeredolu Spent N7.3billion In Three Months On ‘Contingency’ Without House Of Assembly Approval

We have read the report published on SaharaReporters news platform claiming that the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, CON, spent N7.3billion in three months while he was on medical vacation.

In response to the concerns raised across various social media platforms, we wish to provide clarification for the sake of transparency and accountability, which are values synonymous with the Akeredolu-led administration.

It is important to state unequivocally that the referenced N7.3 billion constituted the cumulative amount of palliative funds received from the federal government. These funds were allocated under the contingency sub-heading to address unforeseen expenses not initially budgeted for but deemed necessary during the fiscal year.

While the original contingency fund in the 2023 budget was N1,069,000,000.00, the additional N7 billion represents funds received from the federal government labeled as “Infrastructure Support Fund,” specifically for palliatives meant to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

In accordance with the Ondo State Public Finance Management Law 2017, the establishment of a Contingency Fund is outlined in Part five, subsection (i) and (ii). It states: A contingency Fund is hereby established. (ii) The contingency Fund may be utilised for making money available to meet emergency expenditure (other than statutory expenditure) which is not provided for in the Appropriation Law for the current year and which although otherwise failing to be met out of the consolidated Revenue Fund or Capital Expenditure and Development Fund cannot without serious injury to the public interest be postponed until a Supplementary Appropriation Law providing for it can be enacted.”

Contingency funds are designed to address emergency expenditures not provided for in the current year’s Appropriation Law, but crucial to the public interest and requiring immediate attention.

Governor Akeredolu did not personally spend the N7.3billion; rather, these funds were appropriately utilised for palliatives. The funds were released to the state by the federal government as part of the efforts to mitigate the impact of the fuel subsidy removal nationwide.

Our administration remains committed to the highest standards of financial responsibility. Any claim of impropriety is unfounded. We encourage the public to rely on accurate information and refrain from being swayed by sensational claims lacking factual basis.

The Palliative committee will in due course avail members of the public the details of the expenditure of the palliative fund.

Signed:

Richard Olatunde

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

November 21, 2023.

STATE HOUSE PRESS STATEMENT

PDP, ATIKU RAISING FALSE ALARM

In separate statements, the Peoples Democratic Party and the spokesman of Atiku Abubakar, its defeated Presidential candidate, threw caution to the winds as they assaulted the integrity of the judiciary and made wild and libellous allegations against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In the wake of the poor run of some elected governors of the party at the appeal court, the PDP and former Vice President and his spokesman have become overtly desperate to hang their woes on President Tinubu and the judiciary, an important arm of government in Nigeria.

In blaming others, Atiku and his party have failed to demonstrate whether they had done any soul-searching before going public with their weighty, specious, reckless, and irresponsible allegations.

While we do not hold brief for the judiciary, we urge Nigerians to discountenance the malicious allegations by the PDP and its candidate that President Tinubu as governor of Lagos, silenced the opposition and corrupted the judiciary and that he is planning to foist a one-party state on the country by appointing “loyalists” as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

President Tinubu is a democrat to the core. We make bold to say that as president, he has not interfered with the judgment of the judiciary. We had witnessed how under his watch, the PDP governor in Osun defeated the APC at the Supreme Court.

Similarly, the PDP Governor in Bauchi also won his case in the Appeal court, beating the APC.

President Tinubu is also not planning to impose a one-party state as Atiku has serially alleged and his party and spokesman have now parroted.

These allegations are deliberately aimed at unnecessarily heating up the polity and causing disenchantment in our country.

They exist only in the imagination of the PDP and the former vice-president.

Unlike Atiku Abubakar, President Tinubu’s record as a democrat par excellence and a strong advocate of the rule of law have been globally acknowledged.

His record of service as governor, which witnessed giant strides in various facets of the state, was responsible for the dominance of his political structure in Lagos and not by any undemocratic conduct, as Atiku Abubakar wants the public to believe.

In contrast, it is on record that Atiku Abubakar recently confessed about the electoral heist his party executed in the South West in 2003, in , which Tinubu survived out of the six Governors of the defunct Alliance for Democracy.

While Atiku and PDP are now crying wolf over the Appeal Court rulings on governorship polls in Plateau, Zamfara and Nasarawa States, we hasten to ask the former Vice President where he was in 2019 when the court ruled against All Progressives Congress in Zamfara State. The court then awarded all the positions won by the APC to PDP.

Where was Atiku also in 2019 when in Rivers State, the court stopped APC from fielding any candidate in both the Governorship and House of Assembly elections?.

Where were Atiku and the PDP in 2019, when on the eve of the swearing-in of Bayelsa governor-elect, David Lyon, the Supreme Court handed the victory of the APC to the candidate of the PDP, Governor Diri who was earlier rejected at the poll by the people of Bayelsa?.

Atiku and PDP then savoured all these court-handed trophies as sweet victories for PDP and celebrated the courts as protectors of democracy.

Now that the same courts are annulling PDP victories, based on the blatant violations of the law by the lawless party, the party is mudslinging the judiciary and President Tinubu.

We once again implore Atiku and PDP to stop their campaign of calumny and blackmail against the judiciary and the honourable judges and justices. Judgments are based on law and evidence. In election petition cases, they are based on the Electoral Act and the Constitution, not on sentiments and emotions.

It is irresponsible and a disservice to our country for the opposition, after failing to observe the letters and spirits of the law, to now turn around to tear down an important arm of our government.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy

November 20, 2023

November 20, 2023

Press Statement

PDP Congratulates Former President Goodluck Jonathan at 66

…Says He is an Icon of Democracy

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) family celebrates former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR as he marks his 66th birthday today.

President Jonathan continues to stand out as a National Icon of Democracy and International Statesman; a sincere, selfless, humble, courageous and patriotic leader who, as a product of the PDP, remains steadfast to his commitment towards the peace, unity, stability and development of our dear nation.

Nigerians across all divides celebrate President Jonathan for his unwavering commitment in upholding democracy tenets of Rule of Law, Separation of Powers, constitutionally guaranteed freedom and rights of citizens, the principles of justice, equity and fairness; dedication to free, fair and credible election in Nigeria in line with the manifesto and policy thrust of the PDP; credentials that are indelible in our national annals.

Dr. Jonathan is celebrated for his efforts in strengthening the bond of unity, love, harmonious living, mutual respect and understanding among Nigerians as well as creating an atmosphere for free enterprise, which enabled our nation to thrive in all sectors under his watch.

Our Party is proud of President Jonathan’s unprecedented achievements and massive economic productivity in all sectors through which the PDP administration under his Presidency bequeathed a $550 billion economy (largest in Africa and 26th globally) at the end of his successful tenure in 2015.

Sadly, these achievements have been reversed by the incompetent and massively corrupt All Progressives Congress (APC) administrations.

The PDP relishes the fact that in recognition of his democratic credentials, Dr. Jonathan’s continues to be saddled with foreign engagements including superintending over election observation and peace negotiation missions across the globe where he excels to the admiration of all.

The PDP family celebrates Dr. Jonathan on this auspicious occasion and prays to God to grant him more wisdom, good health and happiness in his service to our dear country and humanity.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Signed:

Hon. Debo Ologunagba

National Publicity Secretary

November 20, 2023

Press Statement

Plateau: PDP Demands CJN’s Probe of APC’s Judiciary Control Claim

…Fingers Two Fmr. APC Governors, Ministers as Facilitators

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calls on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to defend the integrity of the judiciary by immediately setting up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to probe the public boasting by leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the APC has persons in the judiciary, particularly at the Appeal and Supreme Court levels to do APC’s bidding on election cases before the Courts.

Nigerians were appalled by such boastings as also contained in a viral video by an APC leader, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, a member of the House of Representatives from Plateau State wherein he said “We have gone to Appeal Court and the final destination is the Supreme Court and we will meet there. That is where we will know whom they know and they will know whom we know”.

The above statement by Hon. Gagdi further confirms the suspicion in the public domain that the APC has set up a special team comprising of two former Governors of the APC who are also serving cabinet ministers and a prominent APC leader from the North East Zone with the mandate to ensure the inducement of certain judicial officers to deliver judgments against the PDP as being witnessed in the series of bias judgments by the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel.

This statement by Hon. Gagdi also lends credence to allegations that a former Governor of the APC reportedly induced members of the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel with the sum of $5 million to deliver a bias judgment against Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s victory at the poll contrary to the position of the law on nomination of candidates and already established pronouncement of the Supreme Court that a Political Party cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another Party.

Hon. Gagdi’s declaration perhaps explains why the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel snatched the victories won by PDP candidates in the National Assembly elections in the State and awarded same to defeated APC candidates in varying, contradictory and conflicting judgments in Appeals with the same subject matter, same facts, same circumstances and same applicable laws.

It is therefore not surprising that the current Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel which has been accused of bias with many Nigerians calling for its disbandment is the only Panel dedicated “Solely” to all Election Appeals from Plateau State, contrary to practice.

The conduct of the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel and the boastings of the APC is eroding integrity, potency and confidence of Nigerians in the time-tested saying that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man.

More worrisome is that the public claim by the APC that it has persons even at the Supreme Court has directly put the integrity and honour of the highest temple of Justice in our country at stake.

The loss of public confidence being generated by this claim has the capacity to push Nigerians to resort to self-help which is a recipe for anarchy, chaos and breakdown of Law and Order in our country.

The outcome of the Appeals decided by the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel is generating serious tension in Plateau State as the citizens are already taking to the streets in protest. Our concern is that the situation is capable of escalating into a full-blown crisis in Plateau and other States of the federation if not immediately addressed.

Insisting that the Judiciary remains the last line of defence for our nation’s democracy and political stability, the PDP demands that the CJN, as the head of the Judiciary, set up a high-powered panel to probe the claims by the APC of having persons in both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court as well as investigate the bribery allegations against the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel.

What Nigerians expect at this moment is for the judiciary to come clean on these grave allegations as well as uphold the primacy of pronouncements by the Supreme Court in the dispensation of justice on election matters.

Signed:

Hon. Debo Ologunagba

National Publicity Secretary