Politics
Buhari Slams N40 million Libel Suit Against Atiku
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The Buhari Campaign Organisation, BCO, has instituted a N40million libel suit against the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of defaming President Muhammadu Buhari and his family.
President Buhari was cited as the 2nd Plaintiff in the suit that was lodged before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
The Plaintiffs are praying the court to compel the PDP flag-bearer to pay damages for alleging that President Buhari and members of his family own substantial shares in 9mobile and Keystone Bank.
The BCO, in the suit that has Atiku’s aide, Mr. Phrank Shaibu as the 1st defendant, insisted that the claim was not only false, but highly libelous.
The plaintiff is seeking a declaration that “the 1 st Defendant (Phrank Shaibu) on behalf and for the 2nd Defendant (Atiku) neglectfully, unlawfully and recklessly permitted and caused to be published in Newspapers, defamatory and damaging statements against the 1st Plaintiff (President Buhari)”.
The BCO applied for an order of the court for specific Damages against the Defendants jointly and severally in the sum of (N30,000,000.00) Thirty Millions Naira as the total sum above listed as financial loss the Plaintiffs incurred due to the wrongful, neglectful and fraudulent acts of the Defendants which forced the Plaintiffs to spend to correct the wrong impression created in the minds of the members of the public due to the publication caused and published by the Defendants.
The plaintiffs also want an order for “general damages in the sum of (N10,000,000,00) Ten Million Naira only jointly and severally against the Defendants for the embarrassment, pain and unnecessary financial loss suffered by the Plaintiffs most particularly the 1 st Plaintiff who is a public figure, an honourable presidential candidate and reputable gentleman to the core”.
As well as an order of the court “for the payment of the sum of (N375,OOO.OO) Three Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Naira only being incidental expenses and/or legal charges which the 1 st Plaintiff incurred in respect of this matter”.
In a witness statement on oath made by its Director of Communication and Strategic Planning, Mallam Gidado Ibrahim, the BCO, told the court that Atiku and his media aide engaged in smeared campaign of calumny against Buhari, by willfully allowing and sponsoring the said purported defamatory and image damaging statements made by the 1st Defendant to be published by some newspapers to members of the public.
Ibrahim averred that as such, President Buhari’s reputations was greatly affected by undue diligence with regards to the authenticity of the information as it relate to the true ownership of the alleged companies which the 1 st Defendant on behalf and for the 2nd defendant, falsely published in the newspapers for the consumption of the general public.
“The 2nd Defendant permitted and sponsored the 1 st Defendant, Mr. Phrank Shaibu to make and publish defamatory and damaging statement against the 1st Plaintiff in order for 2nd Defendant to get undue advantage in terms of votes from the member of the public more than the 1st Plaintiff (Buhari), the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
“That the 2nd Defendant who is a Presidential Candidate of the People Democratic Party hanged on this publications and using same on every campaign grounds to smear the person of the 1 st Plaintiff to his supporters and other members of the public.
“That the 1st Defendant as an agent to the 2nd Defendant who is freely accessible to members of the public for patronage on behalf the 2 ndDefendant, has the duty to investigate any information/ documents means to be issued out either by words of mouth or publication to the members of public, most particularly where such information concerned a third a party or any member of the public .
“That the 1st Defendant without investigating the authenticity of the purported defamatory information with intent to damaged the reputation and integrity of the 1 st Plaintiff caused to be published in the Newspapers. That the Plaintiffs shall tendered two daily newspapers the Vanguard and Punch Newspapers both dated 27th December,2018 before the court during the hearing.
“That the 1st Defendant, to investigate and to ascertain the true ownership of the Keystone Bank Plc and 9Mobile Ltd(EttisaIat) needed only to go to the Corporate Affairs Commission to find out whether the said Companies truly belong to the 1 st Plaintiff before publishing that the Companies were bought and own by the 1 st Plaintiff, his family and friends in the purported publications.
“That the Defendants having willingly refused to so do, have failed to exercise due diligence and were therefore Negligent.
“That the 1 st Defendant for and on behalf of the 2 nd Defendant negligently caused to be published defamatory and damaging statements against the 1 st Plaintiff and the 2nd Defendant gave the 1 StDefendant and his cohorts the mandate to use the said publications against the Plaintiffs all over the place.
“That the neglectful acts of the Defendants more particularly that of the 1 st Defendant has caused grave pain, embarrassment and integrity question to the Plaintiffs more particularly to the 1 st Plaintiff (Buhari)”, he added.
Politics
JUST IN: Ajuri Ngelale steps down as Tinubu’s spokesman
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The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, has stepped down from his role with immediate effect.
In a statement issued by the Presidency on Saturday, Ngelale said he had submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, informing him of his plan to proceed on indefinite leave.
Ngelale added that he has also stepped down as the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
According to Ngelale, he stepped down from his roles to deal with medical matters presently affecting his immediate and nuclear family.
The statement read, “On Friday, I submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President informing my office that I am proceeding on an indefinite leave of absence to frontally deal with medical matters presently affecting my immediate nuclear family.
“While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for no man, this agonizing decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson of the President, Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen — was taken after significant consultations with my family over the past several days as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home.
“I look forward to returning to full-time national service when time, healing, and fate permit. I respectfully ask for some privacy for my family and me during this time.”
Politics
‘It’s a recipe for crisis’ — PDP demands reversal of petrol price hike
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the federal government to “immediately” reverse the latest hike in the petrol pump price.
On Tuesday, TheCable observed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had increased the price of petrol across its retail outlets.
The product’s price has also increased in other petrol stations across the country, ranging from N855 per litre to over N1,000.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, described the development as a “punishing increase” and a “brutal assault on the sensibility and wellbeing of Nigerians”.
“The thoughtless increase in fuel price, especially at this time, is a huge recipe for crisis, as Nigerians cannot bear its worsening effect on the suffocating economic hardship which they currently face under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC administration,” the statement reads.
Ologunagba said the “persistent increase” in petrol price “without due regard to the wellbeing of the people is akin to pushing Nigerians to the wall and daring them to do their worse”.
“The APC administration has consistently shown itself to be anti-people, unconcerned, and deaf to the agonies of millions of Nigerians who can no longer afford their daily meals, medications, and basic support for families due to the catastrophic high cost of living occasioned by the insensitive and reckless policies of the Tinubu administration,” he said.
The PDP spokesperson claimed that under the Tinubu administration, 150 million Nigerians have sunk below the poverty line.
He added that businesses are collapsing daily with an over 34 percent inflation rate, noting that there is an over 40 percent unemployment rate.
“There is practically no hope in sight under the current APC government policies as major multinational companies continue to exit our country in droves in the face of ill-conceived and ill-implemented macro-economic policies,” he said.
“With the hopeless state of affairs of our nation today, our Party wonders what President Tinubu, during his numerous trips abroad, says to his foreign counterparts in nations where leaders prioritize the welfare of their people.
“Nigerians will recall that the PDP had on several occasions offered constructive advice and suggestions on the management of the economy, which the APC government, in its arrogance in failure ignored.
“The PDP calls on President Tinubu to save the country from further socio-economic dislocation by immediately reversing the latest provocative increase in fuel price and revisit all life-discounting and suffocating policies of the APC government.”
He said with “deft, transparent, and innovative management of resources, economic potential, comparative advantage, and national refining capacity, petrol should not sell more than N250 per litre in the country”.
Politics
Peter Obi appoints Yunusa Tanko to lead Obidient movement worldwide
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Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, has appointed Yunusa Tanko as the interim national coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide.
Obi announced the appointment during an X spaces engagement on Tuesday.
He stated that Tanko’s selection followed a consensus to allocate the position to the north.
He also highlighted Tanko’s track record and leadership skills as key factors in his selection.
“Last week, I held an X space to announce the start of a series of engagements that will help establish this structure,” he said.
“To drive this process, I set up a team to manage these conversations. This team was tasked with holding a series of consultations and engagements.
“Moving forward, it is crucial to have leadership in place to support this building process. After extensive consultations within the movement and reviewing feedback from Obidients through the ideas submitted, there is a consensus that the position of National Coordinator should go to the North.
“From the nominations submitted by key stakeholders in the movement and shared with the engagement team, Dr Tanko Yunusa emerged as the most nominated candidate for this role.
“I want to clarify that all positions filled at this stage are on an interim basis until our structure is fully developed. Remember, we have over one million leadership positions to fill as we work to build a Nigeria that works for everyone.
“Please be thoughtful in your nominations to help us onboard people with the competence, character, and capacity to lead.”
Tanko previously served as the media director and spokesman for the now-defunct Labour Party presidential campaign organisation.
He was the chair of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in 2015 before joining the National Conscience Party, where he became the presidential candidate in 2019.
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