Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has engaged justices of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PREPEC) in Abuja to exclude the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, in case of any rerun presidential election, asserting that main he and the candidate of the People Democratic Progressive Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are constitutionally able to recontest.

That's what tinubu contended assuming the justices void the February 25, 2023, presidential election, Obi and his party won't be able to recontest.

Obi's guidance, checking, encouraged the five-part board of the PREPEC not to undermine the desire of individuals as communicated in the February 25 presidential election, focusing on that they ought to sack Tinubu right away.

Tinubu blamed both Obi and LP for requesting that the court drop the election and propel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to gather information in which he (Tinubu), Shettima, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) wouldn't partake.

He contended that should the alleviation be conceded, Obi and LP wouldn't determine any advantage, as they have been constitutionally barred from contesting the rerun election.

President Tinubu's contentions were contained in his last composed address in light of the petition of Obi and the LP challenging his statement as president.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman had on March 1, pronounced Tinubu the winner of the February 25 presidential election with 8,794,726 votes while Atiku and Obi purportedly scored 6,984,520 votes and 6,101,533 votes, respectively.

Both Obi and Atiku are making a case for victory on the grounds that every one of them scored a larger part of legal votes cast at the poll. On the other hand, they encouraged the court to arrange a re-run election to choose the authentic winner of the poll.

In any case, that's what tinubu said:

“In the very unlikely event that the election of February 25, 2023, is voided, the only candidates constitutionally prescribed to contest any subsequent election shall be the 2nd respondent and the candidate of the PDP who came second, by scoring the next majority of votes in the highest number of states (19 states)

to the 1st petitioner’s 16 states, and also coming second by a plurality of votes, having scored 6,984,520, far and above 1st petitioner’s 6,101,533 votes.

“In effect, the petitioners have no locus standi to ask for relief 2, both constitutionally and legally; constitutionally, because he is barred from contesting; legally, because he has no benefit to derive from the said relief, assuming it is granted”.

Contending that the court cannot decree an order for a fresh election, outside the provisions of the constitution, Olanipekun who cited a plethora of authorities, said:

“The law is settled that ‘a party prosecuting an action would (only) have locus standi where the reliefs claimed would confer some benefits on such a party.’”

According to him, the only candidates constitutionally prescribed to contest any subsequent election shall be the 2nd respondent and the candidate of the PDP who came second, by scoring the next majority of votes in the highest number of states (19 states), to the 1st petitioner’s 16 states, and also coming second by plurality of votes, having scored 6,984,520, far and above 1st petitioner’s 6,101,533 votes.

Citing Section 134(3) of the Constitution, Olanipekun submitted that, “the 1st petitioner is constitutionally barred from participating in any election, in the very unlikely event that the election of February 25, 2023, is voided”.

Section 134(3) provides thus:

“In default of a candidate duly elected in accordance with subsection (2) of this section, there shall be a second election in accordance with subsection (4) of this section at which the only candidate shall be – (a) The candidate who scored the highest number of votes at any election held in accordance with the said subsection (2) of this section; and (b) One among the remaining candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of states, so however that where there are more than one candidate with majority of votes in the highest number of states, the candidate among them with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election.”

Olanipekun also faulted the petitioners’ prayers for the cancellation of the election and an order mandating INEC to conduct a fresh election, on the grounds that the petitioners did not suggest who the participants or candidates at the said election would be.

“Most humbly, the court cannot decree an order for a fresh election, outside the provisions of the Constitution,” he said.

“In any event, the 1st petitioner has failed to comply with the law of the land, by first making himself a member of the 2nd petitioner, before proceeding to purportedly contest election and even file a petition.

“We, again, refer to the un-contradicted evidence of the respondents’ sole witness, who observed that the name of the 1st petitioner is nowhere located in Exhibit RA18.

“Arising from the foregoing, is the fact that the petition is improperly constituted, and, as such, at the end of evidence/trial, it is clear that it does not vest jurisdiction in this honourable court to entertain it, and more particularly, to grant the reliefs sought.

“The essence of all these is that in the absence of the PDP and its candidate, the NNPP and its candidate, the grounds of the petition, the paragraphs making allegations against the parties and any evidence extracted during trial become incompetent and inadmissible in the absence of those parties.”

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it is computerizing the passport application cycle to decrease the pressure and delay Nigerians experience while applying for passports.

The Acting Representative General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Caroline Adepoju, who was a visitor on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily program on Thursday, said the Service is attempting to eliminate human interface in the process of passport application.

"One thing Nigerians are familiar the Nigeria Immigration Service is the issuance of the Nigerian passport and we know the number of Nigerians that have applied for passports in the beyond two years have been exceptionally high and extraordinary," Adepoju said.

"Yet, nevertheless, the service is endeavoring to guarantee that we live up to the assumptions of Nigerians. Number one, we are automating our passport application process; we are attempting to ensure that we cut out the human interface.

"Our applications are accessible on the web and we are attempting to sharpen our applicants that they ought to go online for these applications to try not to disparage savages," Adepoju said.

The Acting Representative General, nonetheless, reminded Nigerians that on the grounds that the passport is a security record, it will require some investment before they are given, adding that there are various cycles like completing security checks, and address confirmation, among others.

She encouraged Nigerians to constantly begin passport renewal applications a half year before expiration, adding that new applicants don't have to stand by till they need the passport to begin application.

The Federal Government has yanked school expenses for Federal Government Colleges (FGCs), also called Federal Unity Colleges, from ₦45,000 to ₦100,000.

This was contained in an order from the Office of the Director of Senior Secondary Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, reference number ADF/120/DSSE/I, dated 25th May 2023 and addressed to all Directors of Federal Unity Colleges.

As indicated by the roundabout named "Approved fees/ charges for Federal Unity Colleges (1st Term) for new students", endorsed by the Head of Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, new students are supposed to leave behind ₦100,000 rather than the past 45,000.

The most recent expenses/charge addition will influence for all intents and purposes all perspectives and exercises of the school, including educational cost and boarding expenses, garbs, course readings, store, practice books, plan, alert expense, ID cards, writing material, clubs and social orders, sports, additional example, protection, among others.

The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, contradicts those contending that the proposed N8,000 palliative by the Federal Government will not do a lot to pad the impacts of the removal of fuel subsidy on poor Nigerians.

While talking on Channels TV July 21, the governor demanded that N8,000 is huge load of cash for such countless poor families in the country who don't get to see such a sum in a month.

"We were sharing just N5,000 and accept me there were such countless individuals that were hanging tight for that N5,000 consistently. For sure there were a few networks that had the option to do some sort of commitments and they had the option to do a ton in their different networks. Thus, N8,000 may not be such a lot of cash to certain individuals, yet it is a great deal to such countless others who are from exceptionally unfortunate families that don't see N8,000 consistently. Thus, mainly, let us distinguish those families" Governor Sule said

Source had revealed before that President Tinubu in a letter to the House of Representatives, expressed that N8000 will be dispensed to 12 million families as a component of measures to pad the financial difficulty being capable by numerous Nigerians because of the fuel subsidy removal.

In a gathering on Thursday, the National Executive Council (NEC) settled on palliative measures for Nigerians. In the gathering which was led by VP Kashim Shettima and furthermore went to by governors of the 36 conditions of the Federation, NEC concurred that money moves would be done through state social registers rather than national social regime.