The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday in its final written address on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar said the FCT has no special status.

Counsel to INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud noted that in line with section 134 of the constitution, the FCT is treated as a state, in essence, there are 37 states in the country.

Advertorial

Mahmoud said the petitioners have failed woefully in establishing their petition hence, their request should be dismissed by the tribunal.

According to INEC’s lead counsel, the petitioners listed non-compliance with the Electoral Act, the status of the FCT, INEC Regulations and Guidelines, and the use of technology in the election as major issues of contention.

Mahmoud however said it is illogical to insist one must get 25 percent of votes in the country’s capital as postulated by the petitioners. He argued that it will create a situation where FCT voters would be given special status above other Nigerians living in other states.

While urging the tribunal to dismiss the petition by Atiku and the PDP, the INEC lawyer insisted that their claim on the status of the FCT is “most absurd.”

On the technical glitches during the election, Mahmoud said evidence shows that accreditation and authentication of voters were effective and that the technical glitches cited by Atiku happened for about 4 hours but were resolved and didn’t affect the final outcome of the polls.

“They have failed woefully to establish that there was human interference in the technical glitches that happened on election day,” Mahmoud said.

“The petitioners constructed certain things in their minds to which they failed to prove,” Mahmoud added.

Chairman of the Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPG), Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo), has announced that transporters in the state will not be joining the August 2 strike called by the organised labour.

Rather, Akinsanya announced on Tuesday at a meeting with transport union leaders and operators, relief measures for commercial bus drivers and passengers to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government.

Advertorial

He said the tickets sold to drivers at parks for N800 would now be N600 and all bookings would be reduced by 25 per cent.

For passengers, Akinsanya said routes which used to attract N500 transport fare would now be charged at N300 while commuters previously paying N200 would now pay N150.

He added that commercial motorcycle (okada) and tricycle (Keke Marwa) operators would enjoy 25 per cent reduction on the tickets bought from the union.

He announced that a task force has been put in place to monitor the implementation of the directive.

The LASPG chairman urged various parks and garages’ executives to ensure compliance, warning that sanctions would be meted out to defaulters.

The task force will be led by all members of state executives, parks’ chairmen and selected union leaders.

He said that agency would do everything in its power not to inconvenient the masses.

He said the directive was a follow-up to an earlier announcement by the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on bus fare reduction.

Akinsanya said about 50,000 members of the agency would not be joining Nigeria Labour Congress’ (NLC) planned protest on Wednesday.

He said: “We, the state executives and the entire members of the Lagos State Parks and Garages met today (Tuesday) in Lagos to review the situation in the country, particularly in Lagos, following the oil subsidy removal by the Federal Government.

“After much deliberations and review, we discussed the high costs of foods, transport fares and other areas of public interest, in particular the plan by the organised labour, i.e., the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), to call workers out on a strike.

“After a careful discussion, we concluded that we will not be part of any strike or protest rally being planned to draw the Federal Government’s attention to the issue being debated in the country. All transport families and members will be at work to convey people to their various destinations without problem because the Lagos State government has announced some interventions in the sector.

“The Lagos State government has provided a conducive atmosphere for our operation. There is, therefore, no reason for us to join any strike that may threaten the peace of the state. The various palliative measures taken by the state government, especially the 50 per cent reduction of government public transports and a downward review of our yellow buses fares will also go a long way in cushioning the effect of the subsidy removal.

“We have also embarked on internal measures like downward reviews of Lagos State government and union tickets. With this, there will be a reduction in transport fares by commercial drivers.

“We at the Lagos State Parks and Garages, therefore, unequivocally say no to any form of strike or protest by the organised labour or any group. All our members are enjoined to go by their normal duties without any fear or intimidation.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the National broadcast of President Bola Tinubu shows that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government lack focus and leadership to steer the country from troubled waters.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, said the broadcast was hurriedly put together to blackmail the organised labour divert attention from the “bad policies” of the government.

The main opposition party said the recourse to such “vacuous, illusory and showy mal-administration revealed lack of leadership ingenuity and focus in the management of the affairs of the nation.”

The spokesman said the PDP is appalled that the broadcast is “another litany of false promises hurriedly put together by his (Tinubu) handlers in the desperate bid to hoodwink and beguile Nigerians, blackmail Labour Fronts and divert public attention from the life-discounting experiences imposed by the APC government”.

“The broadcast is a horrifying reminder of APC’s bogus promises which include promised Three million jobs per year; Making Naira equal in value to the US Dollar; Provision of Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme to create at least 5 million new jobs by 2019, among others.

“Nigerians are aware that the APC, with Senator Tinubu as National Leader, never fulfilled any of these promises, but rather remained unaccountable and turned our once prosperous nation to the poverty capital of the world where over 100 million citizens cannot afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life.

“What then is the value of Senator Tinubu’s new promises of N75 billion for new jobs in 2024; N125 billion to SMEs; N50,000 each to 1,300 nano business and cultivation of 750,000 hectares of land for food, all without concrete policy and implementation plan, and which at best are openings for corrupt patronage and siphoning of public funds?” he said.

The party noted that a comprehensive review of the speech shows that it is merely aspirational and meant to mesmerize the citizens “as it is completely bereft of any concrete plans to tackle the energy crisis, production issues, monetary challenges and worsening insecurity in our country.

“It is instructive to observe from the speech, that the APC has no marshal plan to stimulate domestic crude refining as an answer to the crippling energy and manufacturing deficits in the country, instead the APC has committed our nation to the mercies of foreign interests and market forces.

“The submission in the speech that there are no other ways but for Nigerians to suffer hardship and high costs further exposes APCs scandalous cluelessness, lack of capacity and deficiency of innovative ideas to effectively steady and manage a nation like Nigeria.

“It also shows APC’s insensitivity to the suffering of Nigerians and lackadaisical approach to serious issues of governance. It is like the case of you take it or leave it! The APC should know that there is frustration in the society in the face of its apparent lack of ideas and leadership focus.”