How Buhari, APC allegedly used TraderMoni to buy votes - Atiku tells presidential election tribunal

- Atiku and his party, PDP, claimed in their petition to presidential election tribunal that Trader Moni is illegal

- The PDP presidential candidate and his party alleged that President Buhari and APC used the scheme to influence voters to vote for them

- Responding, President Buhari, through his lawyer, denied the petitioners’ claim, insisting that TraderMoni was never a vote-buying measure but a social intervention scheme

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and his party, have insisted that the TraderMoni scheme initiated by President Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government is a vote-buying scheme that lacked budgetary backing.

According to Sahara Reporters, Atiku and his party described the initiative as “illegal and corrupt extra-budgetary spending".

Legit.ng gathers that they stated this in their petition filed before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to challenge the outcome of the February 23 election.

Atiku and his party want the tribunal to declare them as the true winner of the February 23 presidential election, having alleged manipulations and corruption in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)'s declaration of Buhari and his party, APC, as the winner of the election.

They alleged, among others, in the petition that in a bid to “improperly influence voters,” Buhari, “using his position as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, commenced a programme or a scheme called Trader Moni, through which the Nigerian electorate, most especially traders across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, Abuja, were, a few weeks to the presidential election, given N10,000 each.”

“In spite of the fact that there was no budgetary provision for this scheme; and in spite of public outcry against it, the 2nd respondent (Buhari), through the Vice-President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, went round all the states of Nigeria and the FCT, Abuja, and shared the said sum of N10,000 to traders, thus using state resources to buy votes,” they added.

Responding, President Buhari, through his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), denied the petitioners’ claim, insisting that Trader Moni was never a vote-buying measure.

He said the policy was one of the many social intervention policies of the government provided for in the national budget to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

However, in their reply to Buhari’s response to the petition, Atiku and the PDP faulted the claim.

They contended that there was no such provision in the Appropriation Act permitting distribution of “scarce public funds” before and during the February 23 presidential election.

The petitioners, through their team of lawyers led by Dr. Livy Uzouwku (SAN), noted that the National Assembly "vehemently protested” against the spending under the Trader Moni policy for not being appropriated for in the Appropriation Act.

They stated: “Contrary to paragraphs 331, 332, 333, 334, 335 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341 and 342 of the 2nd respondent’s (Buhari) reply, the petitioners denied that there was a budgetary provision in any Appropriation Act permitting the distribution of scarce public funds before and during the election of February 23, 2019, to so-called traders under the guise of Trader Moni.

“The petitioners further state that the National Assembly vehemently protested against the spending of un-appropriated funds.”

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Chris Uche (SAN) who is the lead counsel for the Atik and PDP at the presidential election tribunal, and Bauchi state governor-elect, Bala Mohammed at the governorship petition tribunal sitting in Bauchi state expressed optimism of his clients’ victory in court.

The senior lawyer said all the respondents in Atiku’s cases have all filed their responses. Uche added that all processes have been exchanged and very soon, there will be commencement of the pre-hearing session with the actual trial coming after that.

He, however, queried the APC for not addressing some of the issues raised in the petition filed by Atiku.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win? | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng

from Legit.ng: Latest Nigeria News Today & Breaking Naija News 24/7 http://bit.ly/2LkrjG3
via EDUPEDIA24/7

These funny food quotes will make you laugh like crazy

Food is not only an essential part of the daily routine but also the most exciting one. We cannot imagine our life without something yummy. How do you make ordinary eating fun and unforgettable? We bring to your attention amazing food quotes which will definitely make you smile. Image: unsplash.com (modified by author) Source: UGC Are you looking for interesting ideas to entertain your interlocutor while having lunch at work or family dinner? Then this article is definitely for you! Good food quotes Below are food quotes, aphorisms and witty statements. This is an exciting and extraordinary collection of the top "pearls of wisdom" on this topic. Here you can find funny jokes and sayings, intelligent thoughts of philosophers and original words of great thinkers and inspiring statuses from social networks, as well as many other things. The best appetite comes without food. I love calories. They are dаmn tasty. An empty stomach is the Devil's playground. Have bre

The Transitional Phase of African Poetry

The Transitional Phase The second phase, which we have chosen to call transitional, is represented by the poetry of writers like Abioseh Nicol, Gabriel Okara, Kwesi Brew, Dennis Brutus, Lenrie Peters and Joseph Kariuki. This is poetry which is written by people we normally refer to as modem and who may be thought of as belonging to the third phase. The characteristics of this poetry are its competent and articulate use of the received European language, its unforced grasp of Africa’s physical, cultural and socio-political environment and often its lyricism. To distinguish this type of poetry we have to refer back to the concept of appropriation we introduced earlier. At the simplest and basic level, the cultural mandate of possessing a people’s piece of the earth involves a mental and emotional homecoming within the physical environment. Poems like Brew’s ‘‘Dry season”, Okara’s “Call of the River Nun”, Nicol’s “The meaning of Africa” and Soyinka’s “Season”, to give a few examples,

Nigerian Academy Of Science Inducts First Female President

The Nigerian Academy of Science has inducted a professor of Parasitology/Epidemiology, Ekanem Ikpi Braide, as its 19th President on Thursday. In a statement issued by Oladoyin Odubanjo, the Executive Secretary of the Academy, Braide is the Academy’s first female President in 44 years of existence. It read, “Braide was a member of the national committee that achieved the laudable feat of guinea worm eradication in Nigeria. “She has a rich professional experience as a researcher and an administrator. In July 2010, Professor Braide was honoured by the President of Nigeria with the award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for her contribution to disease control in Nigeria. “She was nominated by the Honourable Minister of Health to serve in the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Health Sector Response (MEACoC-HSR). “Professor Braide served as Vice-Chancellor, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) Calabar, Nigeria (2004 to 2009) and as P

EDUPEDIA247

Search This Blog