• We’ll work for his victory – Buhari declares support for Tinubu
• Supreme Court restores Ahmad Lawan APC Senatorial candidate Yobe North
• APC postpones Oyo rally due to scarcity of new notes
• Motorists threaten protest at NNPC headquarters
• Court orders arrest of EFCC Chairman, Bawa

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

We’ll work for his victory – Buhari declares support for Tinubu

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Katsina State pledged full support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu.

President Buhari, during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, called on him and the Emirate Council to mobilise for the political leader.

“We are here to present our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Asiwaju has been chosen by our party, and we are fully in support of his candidature, and we will work for his victory at the polls,” Buhari said.

The President had recently told Nigerians to vote for any candidate of their choice during the 2023 general elections.

There are speculations that the Presidency is working against the victory of the APC candidate in the coming polls.

Supreme Court reinstates Ahmad Lawan APC Senatorial candidate Yobe North

By a vote of three to two, the Supreme Court on Monday reinstated Senate President Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan as the All Progressives Congress APC’s candidate for the Yobe North Senatorial District.

In the majority opinion, the Supreme Court nullified and set aside the decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had confirmed Bashir Sheriff Machina as the APC candidate for the May 28, 2022, Senate primary.

Bashir Sheriff Machina’s use of an originating summons to bring his case before the Federal High Court was the basis for the Supreme Court’s new ruling nullifying the two prior verdicts.

Justice Centus Chima Nweze, who delivered the majority opinion of the Supreme Court, ruled that Bashir Sheriff Machina was required to initiate his lawsuit against the defendants with a Writ of Summons before the Federal High Court.

Justice Nweze stated that Machina’s case involves hostile concerns that cannot be handled by an initial summons.

However, Justices Adamu Jauro and Emmanuel Akomaye Agim disagreed with the majority verdict and found that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal were accurate in their findings and pronounced Machina to be the APC’s Yobe North Senatorial District candidate.

The two justices determined that Machina was properly nominated since the primary election that produced him on May 28, 2022, was conducted in accordance with the law.

Justices Jauro and Agim insisted that the APC conducted an illegal primary election because the primary election held on May 28 was not canceled prior to the primary election held on June 9, 2022, which allegedly produced Lawan. They described the election as illegal, unlawful, and in violation of Article 285 of the 1999 Constitution.

In addition, they said that Lawan had voluntarily withdrawn from the Presidential primary race in an uncontested letter to the APC.

They said that INEC was clear that it observed the primary election on May 28 that produced Machina, but that it did not see the primary election on June 9, 2022, because APC did not provide information to that effect.

They consequently rejected the APC’s appeal on the grounds that it lacked competence and merit.

APC postpones Oyo rally due to scarcity of new notes

As a result of the demonstrations shaking Oyo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed its presidential rally.

This announcement was made by the party on Monday.

According to reports, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC, was scheduled to visit Ibadan on Tuesday as part of his presidential campaign.

However, the party has announced that it will not host the campaign event as scheduled.

Wasiu Olawale Sadare, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Oyo State, confirmed the postponement.

In a brief statement made available to the media on Monday, Sadare said that the postponement was necessitated by the problem caused by the shortage of new naira banknotes and fuel.

“We regret to announce the indefinite postponement of our presidential rally earlier slated for tomorrow (Tuesday).

“The decision was taken, apparently, in consideration to the prevailing challenges facing the people and the need to allow President Muhammadu Buhari work around the situation and ensure that normalcy return particularly as it concerns fuel and currency notes crisis,” he said.

Motorists threaten protest at NNPC headquarters

The Coalition of Transporters has threatened to picket headquarters of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over fuel scarcity.

Their communique issued on Monday was signed by Jamilu Mai Alheri, Chairman of Trailer Drivers Association (TADAN), and five others.

They are Tricycles Owners Association of Nigeria (TOWAN), National Association of Traders of Nigeria (NASTAN), Commercial Motorcycles Association of Nigeria (COMAN).

Others include Market Women Association of Nigeria (MAWAN), Trailer Drivers Association of Nigeria (TADAN), and Luxurious Bus Operators Union (LUBOU).

The unions have put their members nationwide on alert to join the protest if nothing was done to end the scarcity.

The associations said they would continue to occupy the NNPCL Towers in Abuja until the problem was fixed.

They also threatened not to make their vehicles available to transport Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) materials for the elections.

The unions complained that the lingering fuel shortage had placed them in an unbearable condition.

The communique said members depend largely on daily income from their services which have been adversely affected.

“It is also inconceivable that fuel is sold at government recognised filling stations for between N350 to N400 per litre.

“This has forced majority of our members to abandon their buses, motorcycles among others,” it added.

Court orders arrest of EFCC Chairman, Bawa

The Kogi State High Court in Lokoja has ordered the arrest and remand of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, in prison.

Justice Rukayat Ayoola ruled that Bawa should be picked up and remanded in Kuje prison for disobeying a court order.

Ayoola also directed the Inspector General of Police to ensure compliance because the EFCC boss committed contempt of court.

The judge ruled that the EFCC Czar should be remanded for the next 14 days.

In his ruling, the judge granted an application for Bawa to be remanded in prison because he disobeyed a court ruling delivered on November 30, 2022.

The anti-corruption boss was directed to produce an applicant in a case, Ali Bello.

Counsel to the applicant, Sumaila Abbas, had dragged Bawa to court for arresting and detaining Bello illegally, with the court ruling in his favour, only for the EFCC to arraign him for alleged money laundering three days after the ruling.

However, EFCC’s applications for setting aside and stay of execution of the ruling were refused for want of merit.

YNaija