Taraba Facts

  A mentor of mine would always say that “if you jump up, you will come down. If you however, grow up, you will stay there.” Gravity, as amazing as it is, has a hold on almost everything in the universe except growth. It does not matter how strong, young or dynamic you are, gravity will fasten her claws around you until you submit, except of course, you are growing.  Think about it. When I was a little boy, I used to be extremely intrigued by the motor car. I believed it to be a thing of magic. I considered my father a magician for possessing the knowledge that made the magic box move. He had acquired a green Mercedes Benz 200 when I was quite little, and the car was so sleek, I would have packed all my things to live inside it were it not for my Father’s stern look and my Mother’s watchful gaze.  Soon enough, I started to observe whoever it was that drove the car. Their legs touched some things, and their hands pushed the little stick hanging in the middle. I had no idea...

The 2015 general elections may have come and gone, but the activities before, during and after the elections are still very fresh in the minds of people of Taraba State, especially when viewed against the backof the recent tribunal ruling, which sacked the incumbent governor, Darius Ishaku and returned Hajiya Aisha Alhassan as winner of the poll. Since that ruling, discussions in the state have been centred on the political affairs as it is capable of changing the trend in the state. Many questions have dominated the political arena, with some asking if the Taraba ruling is the end of godfatherism era among others. People of the state were beginning to settle to life after the 2015 elections when the tribunal ruling suddenly changed the mood. The electorate, irrespective of party affiliation, are now watching and wondering. What next for the major contenders Taraba, like every other state in Nigeria, has its political peculiarities. Undoubtedly, some of those peculi...

Thousand of women came out in Jalingo, capital of Taraba state to express their solidarity for the Women Affairs Minister and Governor -Elect, Sen. Aisha Alhassan following the Nov. 7, 2015 tribunal verdict that declared her the duly elected Governor of the state. A woman leader in the state  Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim speaking at an event to mark Aisha's victory said the gathering of the women which cut across religious divide  was to reaffirm their support and encouragement to Sen. Aisha in her struggle to get back the mandate bestowed on her by the people of Taraba. She said contrary to the insinuations being peddled by some politicians in the state that the heavens would fall  when Hajiya Aisha is sworn-in as governor should she win the appeal against the tribunal judgement,  there is unity and peaceful coexistence among the people. In her address , Mrs Ladi John observed that those trying to fan the embers of ethnicity and religion on the verdict of th...

The Nigerian Voters Assembly (VOTAS) has said that the recent ruling of the Taraba State election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, will deepen the nation’s democracy. The tribunal had declared Senator Aisha Alhassan winner of the April 11 election and ordered the removal the Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku. President of the group, Comrade Mashood Erubami, said the tribunal ruling validating Senator Aisha Alhassan as governor-elect of Taraba is in consonant with best standards and conforms with the Electoral Act. “It is heart warming and timely, coming at a time when Nigerians are looking up to the judiciary to confirm its place among nations upholding the rule of law. It is worthy of note that the judgement trailed other judgements that reversed elections results to rightful winners against those that INEC had earlier declared as witnessed in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States”, he said. He added: “The number and nature of elections results upheld and reversed is a confirm...

A non-governmental organisation, Taraba Mandate Group (TMG) has tasked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to wade into the Taraba State election petition tribunal which “arbitrarily” nullified the election of Governor Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The group at the weekend described the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal as a rape of democracy and a direct affront to the people of the state who voted for Ishaku. The group in a statement signed by Gani Bako said: “As law abiding citizens of Nigeria, we are wondering why the National Judicial Council (NJC) has not found the courage to invite and prosecute the judges who almost truncated democracy at the Taraba governorship tribunal. The NJC has not deemed it fit to make a public pronouncement on the ongoing controversy. “Is it that the NJC is satisfied with the outcome of the ruling in spite of the worldwide condemnation? Can the NJC say it has not received sufficient proof of judicial fraud f...

Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has stated that he would defeat the APC candidate, Aisha Alhassan, if elections were conducted many times. The election petitions tribunal had declared his candidature in the April 2015 governorship poll as illegal, saying the PDP did not conduct the primary in line with the 2010 electoral act. The tribunal declared Alhassan, fondly called Mama Taraba as winner of the election. On Friday, Ishaku after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa to discuss the security situation in the state following the verdict, said: “The important thing for us as leaders is that our first duty is to protect lives and properties. “I am quite sensitive to any unrest and I have told my people to be patient, peaceful law-abiding and allow the judiciary to do its work. “I have gone to election two times and the second was a bit more than the first and I am on the third election now. I am so confident if I contest 10 times I will win...

 The Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in Taraba state  has been advised not to waste its time and energy going to the appeal court over the ruling of the governorship election petition  tribunal which removed governor Darius Ishaku. Publicity Secretary of the party Mr. Napoleon Adamu who was expelled from the party recently for supporting the verdict of the tribunal said the party was the architect of its own problem  for refusing to conduct the governorship primaries in Jalingo, Taraba state capital  as required by the law. He said he cautioned the party against conducting the primaries   in Abuja  but that no one listened to him. Adamu said there was a time when he announced that all elected delegates should assemble in Jalingo for the governorship primaries but that the state chairman Mr. Victor Bala Kona asked the then police commissioner to  invite  him to his office for questioning. He said he was held for over six hours answer...

Top PDP elders in  Taraba state have rejected the judgement of the state governorship election petition tribunal which annulled the election of Governor Darius Ishaku, declaring that the ruling “cannot stand the test of further judicial inquest.” Speaking to newsmen yesterday, after a meeting in Abuja, leaders of the various political divides in the state said the judgement was capable of throwing the already volatile state into “an unwarranted chaos.” A former Nigeria’s envoy to Trinidad and Tobago, Ambassador Musa John, faulted the ruling, saying that as a former PDP governorship aspirant, he was aware that the party’s primaries held in Abuja, which he actively participated in, when the security situation in Jalingo, the state capital, could not be guaranteed for such event. According to him, since all the other aspirants that participated in the Abuja primaries did not object to the emergence of Arc. Ishaku, he wondered why the tribunal took the decision ev...

…Says Taraba tribunal ruling out of order Governor of Taraba State, Darius Dickson Ishaku, whose election was recently invalidated by the state elections petition tribunal  spoke on  the judgment. He accused the tribunal of leaving issues, concerning the election to dwell on pre-election matters. The elections petitions tribunal ruled recently  that you were not validly nominated as Governor of Taraba State and that your opponent should be sworn in. Did this verdict take you by surprise? The verdict was not only a surprise but total disappointment in view of the fact that the main issues before the tribunal were not considered except for the promotion of trivialities. As a matter of fact, the issues before the tribunal were purely election issues, but regrettably, the tribunal in its judgment picked a pre-election issue. By this singular act, one can easily conclude that certain interests are coming to bear in the judgment. It is a calculated attempt to deprive...

Taraba Mandate Group has commended well-meaning Nigerians for condemning the nullification of the election of Taraba state Governor Darius Ishaku, by the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal that sat in Abuja. In a statement on Monday by its Public Relations Officer, Gani Bako, the group insisted that the “premise of the verdict is totally unknown to law”. The Tribunal had held that Governor Ishaku was not validly nominated by his party, PDP and therefore, nullified his election and also declared the candidate of the APC, Mrs. Aisha Alhassan as the duly elected Governor of Taraba State. Mr. Ishaku has however appealed the judgement. The group particular singled out Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti and Mike Ozekomhe, SAN for commendations and for being consistent in the condemnation of what it described further as “bizarre judgement”. Bako stated further, “It is an insult on franchise that votes would be called “wasted” by anyone, no matter what authorit...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba has called on its supporters to remain calm and be law-abiding in the face of any provocation. Alhaji Hassan Ardo, the State Chairman of the APC, made the call while addressing newsmen on Saturday in Jalingo. He said that his party was aware of underground plans by some group to cause breach of the and ignite violence in the state. “We observed that some elements are out to cause trouble and blame it on the APC, with a view to attracting attention, but our members are peace-loving people. “Our (electoral) verdict was obtained through a peaceful process and we expect anyone that is not satisfied with the outcome, to seek for redress in the courts. He said the victory of the party at the Election Petitions Tribunal on November 7 in Abuja, came as a shock to the opposition in the state. He described the victory as a triumph for democracy over elements of the dark days of impunity. He then called on security agencies in the state...

Women in Taraba state on Tuesday staged a peaceful procession across the streets of Jalingo to protest the ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal which set aside the election of Darius Ishaku as governor of the state. The tribunal had declared the APC candidate, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, as winner of the gubernatorial election on the grounds that Ishaku was not validly nominated as candidate of the People's Democratic Party ( PDP ). The women, under the aegis of "Taraba PDP Women" marched through major streets of the state capital singing (Darius mu ke so), meaning 'it's Darius we want" and "All we are saying, give us justice" before converging at the Women Development Centre, where they addressed pressmen. Addressing Journalists on behalf of the women, former Special Adviser to the state governor on Finance and Banking, Hajiya Fatima Hassan said women in the state are not satisfied with the tribunal saying the tribunal left issues be...

As predicted by many analysts, Senator Aisha Alhassan, popularly known as Mama Taraba has been appointed as the minister of women affairs in the newly inaugurated cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.  The predictions on Mama Taraba has been boosted by the fact that she is the only known female politician chose as a ministerial nominee by the president, all others have a professional background. Mama Taraba standing with the APC national women leader at her balcony in her house in Abuja recently Naij.com has outlined 5 reasons why Mama Taraba was chosen as Nigeria’s minister of women affairs. Read below: 1. She is a mass mobilizer:  Since she joined politics in 2011 and contested as a senator and won in her state, Mama Taraba has been known to be a mass mobilizer of women. Apparently aware that women and youths dominates the voting population in her state and indeed Nigeria, Mama Taraba seized the opportunity and built her political base around the wome...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State has expelled its spokesman, Mr. Napoleon Adamu. This followed an emergency meeting of the party’s state working committee held in Jalingo. PDP explained that Adamu was sacked for accepting the verdict of the governorship election tribunal which sacked Governor Darius Ishaku. The party said Adamu’s acceptance of the judgement, which was in favour of Aisha Jummai Alhassan of the All Progressive Congress (APC) was a conspiracy against the interest of the PDP. The working committee resolved that Adamu’s comments in favour of APC had caused PDP great embarrassment. Adamu had told newsmen in Jalingo that people of the state should accept the verdict and cooperate with the winner in the interest of the state.