The President of the Court of Appeal Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa is to determine where the appeal filed by Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State would be entertained, The Nation gathered Monday.
Usually, the Court of Appeal in Yola, Adamawa State has the jurisdiction and entertains the appeal cases from Taraba. But with the sitting of the Tribunal in Abuja on security concerns in the North Eastern region, it was not clear where the appeal would be treated, and only Bulkachuwa can decide on the venue.
Ishaku filed an appeal for the appellate court to set aside the judgment by the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja which dismissed him from office and handed the governorship to his opponent Aisha Jummai Alhassan.
The Taraba State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice Yusufu Akirikwen Monday said the legal counsel of the governor, headed by Joseph Dauda, has filed three notices of appeals which were already begging for treatment by the Court of Appeal.
Akirikwen was reacting to reports that Ishaku, who rejected the tribunal verdict, has failed to file his appeal within the constitutional 21 days of filling an appeal.
“The report is a mischief, meant to mislead members of the public, particularly the teeming supporters of the governor.
“Where did they get their report from? The only authentic source apart from us would have been the registrar of the Court of Appeal,” he said.
The Justice Commissioner who displayed three notices of appeal, with official stamp of the court, added that “the first appeal was filed by the governor himself, on November 24; second appeal was filed by the PDP, on November 25; and the third appeal also filed on November 25, was by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Nation gathered that the litigant (Alhassan) also immediately filed a cross-appeal on November 26.
The tribunal headed by Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar, had on November 7, ordered that Alhassan be sworn as governor because The PDP did not conduct a valid primary that threw Ishaku up as the its flag bearer.
The tribunal however said Alhassan could not adequately prove her allegation of “over voting, irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2010.”
Alhassan has filed an appeal that the tribunal erred on this ground.
“You can cross appeal only when there is a substantial appeal pending. With Alhassan’s cross appeal, it means we have appealed the tribunal judgment,” Akirikwen said and added that the people of Taraba should remain calm.
“The governor is going to guide and protect the mandate given to him,” he said.
REMAINING CALM OR CRYING OUT FOR INJUSTICE, THE OUTCOME OF FORCING HIM INTO TARABA STATE GOVERNMENT OFFICE IS ALREADY MANIFESTING, HOW CAN NONE INDEGENE UNDERSTAND THE CONDITIONS OF AN AREA WHERE HE DID NOT LIVE? WORKERS AND APPLICANT ARE STILL CALM BECAUSE THE GOD OF JUSTICE WILL SURELY BRING OUT JUSTICE FROM INJUSTICE!!!
ReplyDeleteAPC ARE NOT AFRAID, THEIR GOD IS ALIVE, WHEN THE GOD OF APC STOOD UP THE ONE OF PDP MUST BOW IN SHAME.
ReplyDeleteNIGERIA MUST EXPERIENCE CHANGE, TARABA MUST EXPERIENCE CHANGE, OUR LOCALITY MUST EXPERIENCE CHANGE, OUR COMMUNITIES MUST EXPERIENCE CHANGE, I MUST EXPERIENCE CHANGE THEN WHAT CAN YOU PEOPLE DO THAT CHANGE CANNOT TURN IT OVER FOR GOOD?
BY THE WICKEDNESS IN YOU, WORKERS ARE SHADING TEARS AND REGREATING OF CHOSING YOU AS A CHRISTIAN BROTHER,YET, THE BIRTH OF CHRIST WAS TURN INTO ANGER INSTEAD OF JOY; IN THIS, WHY SHOULD YOU NOT REAP? THANKS BE TO GOD, FOR THE DIFFERENCE MUST SHOW IF CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ARE BETTER THAN MUSLIM BROTHERS WHO CANNOT HURT LIVES.