Ben Agande
24 February 2008
Lagos — THE authorities are beefing security across the country ahead of tomorrow's judgment on last year's presidential election.
The move, according to a security source in Abuja, is to prevent hoodlums and/or their sponsors from causing trouble on the strength of the decision of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
States like Kano, Oyo, Lagos, Kaduna and those in the Niger Delta in particular are receiving special attention because of their peculiar nature.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, it was gathered, has made more operational vehicles available in the states to boost patrol. Soldiers in the Niger Delta have already been put on the alert to complement the Police in maintaining order.
"Government does not want to take any chance. The Police authorities have been directed to ensure that there is no violence after the judgment," the source said.
Another source told Vanguard that contrary to earlier insinuations, there is no tension of any kind in the Presidency ahead of the judgment.
"What tension are you talking about? Take it from me, there is no tension, at least not in the Presidency," the source said.
He said the President's legal team believed he (President) had a good case, adding that if the President was indeed under tension, he would not contemplate travelling to China tomorrow, the day of the judgment.
The tribunal, last Thursday, announced that it would deliver its judgment tomorrow on the consolidated petitions of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and General Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidates of the Action Congress (AC) and the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) respectively against the emergence of President Umaru Yar'Adua in the April election.
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The die is cast.The verdict of the supreme court on the presidential election should be a lesson to all Nigerians.We have waited for too long for this hour to come and i tell you that the supreme court will deliver a good judgement that will help all Nigerians have faith in their country once more.The 2007 election was a sham and everybody saw it as a sham,Obasanjo was the first president that destroyed the economy of Nigeria in 1977 and he came back again to nail the coffin,all the sufferings Nigerians are going through today should be blamed on obasanjo… [Read Full Text]