THE recent Appeal Court judgment, which upheld
the appeal of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State against the
initial judgment by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, did not
indicate that he has finally overcome the hurdles as the rival All Progressives
Congress (APC) is not resting on its oars to pursue the matter to logical
conclusion.
Surprisingly the Appeal Court judgment did not
lead to upheaval in any part of the state unlike what happened after the
tribunal verdict when the people took up arms against one another.
The Guardian learnt that the leadership of
the APC is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the Supreme Court reverses
the PDP’s victory at the appellate court.
Unlike the tribunal’s ruling that sparked off
crisis in the state, which led to loss of lives and properties, there had been
an atmosphere of peace and tranquility in Taraba since the Appeal Court ruling,
although the security operatives have not stepped down their operations.
While the PDP is still savoring its victory, the
APC according to some of its chieftains “would tread all legitimate paths to
ensure that the Supreme Court reverses the decision taken by the Appeal Court
on 31st of December.”
Several political observers in and outside the
state have however suggested that the APC should desist from the litigation, as
the party’s argument for contesting the PDP’s victory was not valid.
According to them the APC cannot continue to harp
on the primaries of the PDP to argue its case, as it is not within the jurisdiction
of any court to decide on the internal affairs of any political party except it
is brought before it.
The APC has insisted it would not in any form be
discourage by such argument as it continue to say that Governor Ishaku was not
the proper governorship candidate in the election.
An inside source from the APC believes that the
party still have the chances of ousting the ruling PDP from the governorship
position through the Supreme Court.
According to Alhaji Danuma Isa Munga, “Our
party had resolved to take the necessary steps by approaching the highest court
in the country.”
Munga who was the former state Chairman of the
defunct Action Congress of Nigeria {ACN} before he defected to PDP and then
returned to APC said, “If other parties have decided to sleep on their rights,
we in the APC will not sleep on our rights because we have enough confidence in
the Supreme Court.”
He explained that the 1999 Constitution, as
amended was explicit on the electoral law “it is obvious that the PDP has
violated the law. The issue of party primary is not PDP affairs. Any party that
violates any part of the electoral Act violates the Constitution and such party
must be made to face the music.”
Munga said he is very sure that the Supreme Court
ruling will favour his party and its governorship candidate, Alhassan Jumai
Aisha, who is the current Minister of Women Affairs.
According to him, “Since the Electoral Act is
there in the Constitution, anybody that violate the Act, violates the
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are dragging PDP to
the Supreme Court because the party refused to conduct primary before the
governorship election and had therefore violated the constitution of the
country.”
He was optimistic that the final judgment, which
would emanate from the Supreme Court, would be in favour of the APC. “This will
serve as a lesson for any party not to handpick anybody as its candidate for
any elective position without allowing such to pass through the due process as
stipulated by the Electoral Act. The lack of internal democracy in PDP forced
majority of us to dump the party.”
Also affirming the party’s readiness to go to the
Supreme Court, the APC chairman in the state, Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo,
told The Guardian that the Appeal Court judgment cannot see the light
of the day as “what the PDP did by not conducting primary is unconstitutional.”
According to him “The Judgment of the Appeal
Court cannot count. The PDP in Taraba cannot occupy that seat.”
He posited that the PDP’s action before the
general election “was a constitutional matter and not discretional. It was
against the constitution and the tenets of democracy.”
Corroborating Munga’s point of view, he also
expressed optimism that the pendulum of the Supreme Court judgment would swing
to the APC’s direction, as he held on to the fact that the issue of Electoral
Act was lucidly made reference to in the constitution.
He admonished the supporters of the party to
remain calm even in the face of any form of provocation “Our part would not
relent on its oars pending when the Supreme Court rule on the case,” he
promised.
Unlike the APC, that has continue to cry foul
over the ruling, PDP on the other hand has continued to commend the Appeal
Court as the governor believed that the decision of the appellate court was
an indication that the judiciary was “still the last hope of the common man.”
Describing his victory as “God on the throne” the
governor expressed hope that even the Apex Court would deliver its ruling
in favour of him and the party. “Victory would continue to be ours,” he
boasted.
Ishaku who reiterated his readiness to extend
hands of friendship to members of the APC and its governorship candidate, noted
that: “Despite all these detractions, we have refused to be distracted and we
will never be distracted. Distraction will even spur us to do more works for
our people.”
The immediate past Minister of Labour, Senator
Joel Danlami Ikenya described the Appeal Court ruling as “a judgment
for the peace of Taraba State.”
He averred that the much-needed peace, which has
in the past eluded the state, has come to stay following the Appeal Court
ruling, stressing that the people of the state were happy with the judgment.
He said the Appeal Court judgment was in
consonant with the law, and it was also in consonant with the wishes of the
people of the state and the country in general.
The PDP chairman in the state, Victor Bala Kona,
who was visibly elated at the ruling said, “We are happy that the Appeal
Court has set aside the Kangaro judgment of the election tribunal panel.”
He dismissed the argument of the rival APC,
saying: “Party primaries are mainly parties affair, which has nothing to do the
with the constitution as earlier held by the APC.
“Party primary is an internal affairs of the
party. Section 82 of the Electoral Act mandated the Independent National
Electoral Commission {INEC} to supervised party primaries. Why should APC that
did not even conduct primary in the state be the one complaining when INEC that
is saddled with the responsibility did not complained?”
Despite the differences in ideologies, one thing
as observed by our correspondent that was however common with the
leadership of the two political parties, was that the word peace did not
ceased from them as they have continued to spread the gospel of peace
among their followers.
-Guardian
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