Ahead of Tribunal judgement Tinubu in closed-door meeting with defense ministers, service chiefs
By Emma Ogbuehi
Ahead of the Wednesday, September 6 date announced by the Presidential Election petitions Tribunal (PEPT) to deliver judgment in the disputed February 25 presidential poll, President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, September 4, met with the Minister of Defense, Abubakar Badaru, the Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle, as well as the military leadership, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Also in the meeting were the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Taoreed Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar.
The meeting, the first after Tinubu decorated the Chief of Defense Staff and the service chiefs, was held behind closed doors.
READ ALSO: Days to PEPT judgment, DSS raises alarm over plans of violent protests
It lasted for less than an hour and its details were not available to journalists.
The meeting also came ahead of the president’s trip to New Delhi, India for the G20 Leadership Summit in New Delhi, India.
Tinubu would later in the day proceed to New Delhi, India, to attend the G-20 Leaders Summit on the special invitation of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
The meeting came on the heels of the alarm raised by the Department of State Services (DSS), also on Monday, over alleged plans by certain people to stage violent protests in order to discredit the Federal Government and security agencies over sundry socio-economic conditions.
Although the security alert pinned the alleged planned ‘violent protest’ on socio-economic issues, the pending judgment of the presidential election petition tribunal is believed to be the main motivation for the warning by the DSS.
The court will deliver judgment in the petition filed by presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party flagbearer, Peter Obi, against the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the 2023 Election.
