3 More Presidential Candidates File Petitions Against Buhari’s Victory

It is more trouble for President Muhammadu Buhari, as three more
presidential candidates have separately approached the Presidential
Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, asking it to void the
outcome of the February 23 presidential election.

In their various petitions, the three presidential candidates,
urged the tribunal to invoke its powers and quash the declaration
of President Buhari as the bonafide winner of the 2019 presidential
election. The petitioners separately alleged that the election was
characterized by manifest irregularities, adding that the Electoral
Act was not substantially complied with by the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC.

Those asking the tribunal to sack President Buhari and order a
fresh election, are the Presidential candidate of the Hope
Democratic Party, HDP, Chief Ambrose Owuru, whose petition marked
as CA/ PEPC/001/2019, also cited the All Progressives Congress, APC
and the INEC as Respondents. Owuru secured a total of 1,663 in the
presidential election.

In another petition that was registered as CA/PEPC/004/2019, the
presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM,
Pastor Aminchi Habu, equally challenged the outcome of the
presidential poll. Similarly, in its own petition marked
CA/PEPC/003/2019, the Coalition For Change, C4C and its
presidential candidate, Geff Chizee Ojinka, also urged the tribunal
to nullify President Buhari’s election.

Remarkably, unlike in all the other petitions, the C4C, which
garnered a total of 2,391 votes at the presidential poll, cited the
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as the 2nd Respondent in its
case. It told the tribunal that its candidate, Ojinka, was validly
nominated to participate in the February 23 election in order to
secure votes to occupy the presidential seat.

“Petitioners contend that the above election was vitiated by
substantial non compliance with mandatory statutory provisions,
which irregularity substantially affected the election such that
the 1st Respondent was not entitled to be returned as the Winner of
the Presidential election”, the party added.

The Justice Abdul Aboki led tribunal had on Wednesday, ordered
that President Buhari should be served with a copy of the the
petition marked as CA/ PEPC/002/2019, which was filed by the
presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku
Abubakar. The tribunal directed that Buhari should be served with
all the legal processes, through any senior officer at the APC
National Secretariat in Abuja.

Atiku and the PDP had applied to be allowed to serve the
petition on Buhari via substituted means, decrying that retinue of
security operatives at the Presidential Villa, made it impossible
for them to effect personal service of the processes on him.

Estate Agent Arraigned for Selling Principal’s House
worth N20.5m

An Estate Agent, Mr. Raymond Ikhazuangbe, has been arraigned by
the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) for allegedly selling a house kept in his care
for N20.5 million.

The Commission, in a 5-count charge before Justice Hassan
Babangida, of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory,
Jabi, Abuja, accused Ikhazuangbe of dishonestly selling a property
located in Gwarinpa, Abuja, belonging to Mr. Philip Imoukhuede and
his wife, Christiana, to one Fatai Salawu, while claiming to be the
rightful owner.

Ikhazuangbe, who was entrusted to look for tenants for the house
by the owners turned around to sell the property by forging several
documents including: Irrevocable Power of Attorney, To Whom It May
Concern Letter of Authority, and Deed of Assignment, to convince
the buyer, Salawu.

ICPC noted that the offence contravenes Section 311 and is
punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532 Laws of
the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Raymond Ikhazuangbe, about
the month of June 2012, in Abuja being entrusted with the property
known as House No. 19 Ameh Oboni Street, Gwarinpa Housing
Authority, Abuja, by the joint owners, Mr. Philip Olatunji
Imoukhuede and Mrs. Christiana Imoukhuede and in the clear breach
of the owners’ instructions to rent out the said house to tenants,
dishoneslty disposed of and/or sold the aforesaid house to Engr.
Fatai Salawu for the sum of N20.5 million and you thereby committed
an offence contrary to Section 311 and is punishable under Section
312 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532 Laws of the Federal Capital
Territory, Nigeria.”

The accused pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him.
His Counsel, Obiora Ilo, prayed the court to grant him bail in
liberal terms arguing that he was a first-time offender and would
not jeopardize investigations while on bail.

ICPC Lawyer, Dennis Idoko, who did not oppose the bail
application, however prayed the court to make sure that the terms
of bail were firm such that they would ensure that the defendant
appears in court for his trial.

Justice Babangida, while ruling on the bail application,
admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N10 million with a
surety in like sum. He said that the surety must be a civil servant
in the employment of the federal government not lower than Grade
Level 13 and must present evidence of his employment to the
court.

Signed: Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, mni
Spokesperson for the Commission