18042019 - PRESIDENTIAL TUSSLE:I always beat you in every election, Buhari tells Atiku

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 — 5
POCKET CARTOON
ON SECURITY—Wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari (4th right) flanked by the wife of the
Chairman, APC Governors Forum, Dame Nkechi Okorocha (4th left) and a Security Expert, Mrs.
Olufunke Amos (3rd right) joined by other wives of governors after a workshop to discuss the role of
women in finding lasting solutions to the security problems in the country at the State House, Abuja,
yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.
I always beat you in every election,
Buhari tells Atiku
Continues from Page 1
objection he filed to
challenge the
competence of the
petition that Atiku and
PDP, lodged against his
re-election on February
23, President Buhari,
boasted that he had
always defeated the PDP
candidate in every
electoral contest that
both of them took part
in.
Buhari maintained
that the electorate
always chose him ahead
of Atiku, in both interparty
or intra-party
contests, using the 2014
presidential primaries of
the All Progressives
Congress, APC, as an
instance.
“The respondent
further avers that at every
previous instance,
whether at intra-party or
inter-party contests,
where he and the 1st
petitioner had vied, he
has always been the
preference of the
electorate and/or
delegates.
“In particular, at the
primary election
conducted by the 3rd
respondent (APC) in
2014, to pick its
presidential candidate
for the 2015 election, the
1st petitioner and
respondent, amongst
others, were the
candidates and while the
respondent polled 3,430
votes, 1st petitioner
came a distant third with
954 votes,” President
Buhari stated in the
process he filed before
the Presidential Election
Petition Tribunal sitting
in Abuja.
Buhari also queried the
powers of the tribunal to
nullify his election
victory at the poll,
contending that the joint
petition Atiku and the
PDP entered against him
was incompetent as it
was based on
conjectures.
Insisting that reliefs
the petitioners are
seeking from the
tribunal were “vague,
nebulous and lacking in
specificity,” he argued
that most of the issues
and grounds of the
petition were not only
“mutually exclusive,”
but also outside the
jurisdiction of the
tribunal.
He contended that by
virtue of Section 31(5)
and (6) of the Electoral
Act, 2010, as amended,
only the Federal High
Court or High Court of a
State has jurisdiction to
adjudicate on some of the
issues, among which
included the allegation
that he was bereft of the
requisite educational
qualification.
Buhari told the tribunal
that contrary to Atiku’s
allegation that he
submitted false academic
qualifications in the
Form CF001 he used to
secure clearance from
the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC, he
said he was at the time
of the election,
“eminently qualified to
contest the election,
having not only the
minimum qualification of
reading up to secondary
school level, but rose to
the peak of his career as
a General in the
Nigerian Army with
cognate experience and
training.
“All information in the
affidavit submitted by
the respondent for the
purpose of his election to
the office of President of
the Federal Republic of
Nigeria is true and
correct, to the best of his
information and
knowledge,” he added.
Consequently, he
maintained that all
paragraphs of the
petition relating to, or
touching on his alleged
non possession of
requisite educational
qualification, “are liable
to be struck out.”
He argued that the
alternative relief in the
petition seeking a fresh
election, was
inconsistent with relief
409(a), (b), (c), (d) and
(e) of the same petition,
saying, “thus, all the
reliefs in the petition are
liable to be struck out.”
“The entire reliefs are
not justiciable, as the
petitioners who claim to
have scored majority of
lawful votes in
substantial number of
states, are also
questioning their own
return in those states; the
petitioners cannot act as
petitioners and
respondents in the same
petition.
“By the petitioners’
pleadings, they claim to
have majority of votes
cast at the election in
Rivers Bayelsa, Akwa
lbom, Enugu, Ebonyi,
Abia, Imo, Delta, Cross
River, Edo, Anambra,
Ondo, Oyo, Benue,
Plateau, Adamawa,
Taraba, and the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja;
yet, they seek an
alternative and
incongruous relief that
the presidential election
of February 23, 2019, be
Continues on Page 41
By Bose Adelaja, Ebun Sessou,
Yinka Latona, Chiamaka Uba,
Dickson Omobola&Tolulope Oke
How can the killing of innocent citizens by Police, Customs be stopped? (4)
THE incessant kill
ing of innocent people
by the Nigerian Police
Force is unfortunately
not a new trend but
the rate at which it happens
is now scary. This
menace will not stop until
the root cause is addressed.
Nigerians are
reaping the reward for
recruiting less educated
people into the Police.
Holistic reform is required.
Mr. Haruna Ismail,
Security expert
I
think the Nigerian
Police Force should
be overhauled. Young intelligent
people with
proper training should be
brought in. These days,
people dread police officers
and it is not supposed
to be. People should see
a police officer and be
happy but the reverse is
the case. The police are
supposed to serve and
protect not kill and
destroy.Mr. Michael
Ekanem, Visual communicator
I
think the customs are
already imitating the
unprofessional conduct
of the police and it is
quite unfortunate. I am a
member of the EndSARs/
ReformPoliceNg Movement.
I am afraid we
might not stop having
these frequent occurrences
of police brutality
until the Police Reform
Bill 2018 is passed, and
signed to law.
Mr. Oluyemi Fasipe,
Communication Strategist
Incessant killing of in
nocent citizens by security
personnel is condemnable.
It is caused by
the virus in the system
which is corruption.
Many of the para-military
officers are inexperienced
and lack orientation
because they took
the job for the sake of unemployment
and not because
of passion.
Mr. Laoye Laide, Security
Personnel
In a society where
lives aren’t valued,
and where people only
think about how to survive,
the killings by the
police is a threat to our
existence. It is sad that
people in the executive
arm of the government
do not care. They don’t
care about the security of
the populace. As we
struggle daily to survive,
we also struggle to secure
ourselves.
Mr. Toyosi Ayeleso,
Brand Strategist
We should amend
the constitution to
make it possible for a law
that would punish police
officers who commit such
a crime. The punishment
should be severe. Also,
the government should
put in place a better border
policing system so
that everything entering
the country is correctly
checked to end the killings
by customs officers.
Mr. Olajide Oladele,
Pastor