Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Sunday, 5th March, 2023
Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday, 5th March 2023.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) would be the majority party for the 10th National Assembly according to a breakdown of the February 25 election results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Naija News reports INEC released a breakdown of the February 25 election on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
The electoral umpire according to a breakdown given by its chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu said winners have been declared for 423 national assembly seats while supplementary elections will be held in 46 constituencies.
He confirmed that 98 out of 109 senate seats have been declared while in the house of representatives, 325 out of 360 seats have been decided.
In the Senate, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 57 seats while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 28 seats and Labour Party (LP) has six.
In the House of Representatives, APC has 162 seats, the PDP has 102 and LP controls 34.
The INEC boss also addressed the logistics and technical issues that marred the presidential and national assembly elections.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu on Saturday spoke on using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Yakubu during a meeting on Saturday assured Nigerians that the BVAS will be used in the governorship and state legislature elections.
Naija News learnt that Yakubu gave the assurance in an ongoing meeting with all Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
He said the commission is working on the devices to avoid a repeat of the glitches recorded with the last Saturday’s elections.
The aim of the meeting was not disclosed to newsmen, however, journalists were invited to cover the opening.
The Supreme Court on Friday nullified the cashless and Naira re-design policy of President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
The apex court in its ruling declared the naira redesign policy was an affront to the 1999 Constitution of the country.
Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim while reading the lead judgment of the Court, said President Buhari breached the Constitution of the Federation in the ways and manners he issued directives for the re-designing of the Naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The apex court in its judgement also noted that the President acted Ultra vires by his obvious failure to consult with the National Council of States, Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the National Economic Council (NEC) before directing the CBN to unlawfully introduce new Naira notes.
The court also directed CBN to keep the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes in circulation till December 31, 2023.
The Supreme Court delivered this ruling following the suit filed against the Federal Government by some state governments.
An All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain in Zamfara State, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to obey the Supreme Court judgment on the Naira redesign policy.
Naija News recalls that the Supreme Court had on Friday lifted the ban on the old 500 and 1000 naira notes while also berating the presidency for not honouring the initial court order.
The court insisted such disregard for the rule of law could be interpreted as a refusal to honour the democratic system of government.
Reacting to the court order, Shinkafi urged the presidency to allow Nigerians to spend the old notes alongside the new notes.
Shinkafi told newsmen that irrespective of how highly placed an individual is they must respect the law.
“Since the Supreme Court has ruled, there is nobody in the country who can violate the order”, he told newsmen
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has commended the Supreme Court for invalidating the naira redesign and cash swap policy deadline introduced by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Recall that the Supreme Court, on Friday, nullified the ban on the use of the old N200, N500, and N1000 banknotes as legal tenders.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision by a seven-member panel of Justices, held that the old banknotes should remain valid legal tenders until December 31.
The court had criticized the President for disobeying its initial order and ordering the ban on all old 500 and 1000 naira notes, maintaining that such an order undermined the democratic system of governance.
Reacting in a statement to Naija News, Akeredolu said the Government and the people of Ondo State received the news of the ruling of the Supreme Court with great relief.
The Governor saluted the industry and the courage of the Justices of the Supreme Court for the well-considered ruling.
Leader of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo on Friday claimed that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi scored over one million votes in Lagos State.
Adebanjo further stated that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu will be sent away from the position, by some people who are praising him for winning the 2023 presidential election.
He called on Nigerians not to expect much from President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue, claiming that President himself entered the office through fraudulent means.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV, Adebanjo said, “The result in Lagos has not been released. The whole thing was mismanaged. We scored over one million votes in Lagos and they altered all the results that belonged to Obi.
The Labour Party has informed the All Progressives Congress that it has evidence that Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, won the election held last week Saturday.
The Obi-Datti presidential campaign organization of the Labour Party made this statement on Friday.
This comes after Bayo Onanuga, the head of media and publicity for the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council, stated on Thursday that Tinubu would speak with Obi if the latter produced documentation proving he had won the election.
The media assistant called Obi’s accusation of fraud in an election in which he finished third “very strange” in a statement titled “We shall meet Mr. Peter Obi in court.”
In response to Onanuga, the LP campaign asserted that the APC was using a manipulated poll to try to harm Peter Obi’s reputation.
Despite the obvious and unequivocal rejection during the election on Saturday, the INEC’s identification of Tinubu as president-elect would undoubtedly go down in history as a very odd incident of electoral fraud, according to the Labour Party.
The party asserted that, contrary to what Onanuga and the APC suggested, it will not need the assistance of any other party, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to establish its case.
The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has debunked the report that the state governor, Ademola Adeleke is planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
PDP in its reaction to the speculation described the claims on social media as fallacious and cheap lies.
An unconfirmed report on social media on Friday claimed that Governor Adeleke has sent emissaries to the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The report (not by our platform) claimed that the Osun State Governor plans to defect to the APC in the coming days.
However, the Caretaker Chairman of the party, Akindele Adekunle on Friday noted that the rumour is a failed distraction agenda.
He called on voters in the state to troop out en masse on March 11 and vote for PDP candidates in the House of Assembly election.
President Muhammadu Buhari will fly to Doha, Qatar, for the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LCDs) on Saturday.
President Buhari is attending the conference in response to an invitation from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to a statement from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Shehu said the conference’s theme will be “From Potential to Prosperity” and it will take place from March 5 to March 9.
He continued by saying that the event, which only happens once every ten years, offers a chance to win over the support of the world community for promoting sustainable development in LDCs and assisting them in their quest for prosperity.
The statement reads in part, “In Doha, President Buhari will reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to supporting the most vulnerable countries to meet their development challenges, highlighting areas through which the Nigerian government has provided them with various forms of assistance over time.
“As most of these countries struggle to find sustainable solutions to challenges of poverty, adverse effects of climate change, food, and energy crisis as well as high-debt burden among others, the Nigerian leader will vigorously reiterate the need for sustainable solutions for countries facing these severe challenges.”
The Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, said on Friday that the rigging done by the top four leading political parties in the just concluded presidential election was not significant enough to alter Bola Tinubu‘s victory.
Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election after polling 8,794,726 votes ahead of his closest opponent, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, confirmed Tinubu’s victory at the International Collation Centre in Abuja during the early hours of Wednesday, Naija News reports.
However, the outcome of the polls has been challenged by candidates of the PDP and third-placed Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
In a statement issued, however, in Abuja on Friday (today), Kachikwu said Tinubu’s victory in the February 25th election is a “clear case of consistency and preparation meets opportunity.”
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
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