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Taraba State Tribunal: General Overview by cultureman(m): 1:50am On Dec 12, 2015 |
The Taraba tribunal ruling
By Mike Ikpechi
THERE are certain things that serve as
dream killers in life; you do not want near
you. The news of the annulment of the
election of Darius Ishaku, the Governor of
Taraba State, is one of such. An amiable
politician who is loved by his people,
Governor Ishaku was voted into office in
April 2015 after defeating the candidate of
the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, in a
keenly-contested election and runoff. He
emerged winner because the people be
lieved in his ability and capacity to help
rescue, rebuild and reposition the state.
The news of the annulment of his election
by the Taraba Election Petitions Tribunal
sitting in Abuja was a shock not only to
those of us privileged to know him, but
indeed, to all well-meaning citizens of the
state. In the judgment, the Justice Danladi
Abubakar Tribunal announced that Ishaku
did not emerge the candidate of the PDP in
a properly-conducted primary election and
so must vacate office. Meanwhile, here was
a candidate who clearly won the elections
by the valid votes cast in the elections and
was so declared by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Now, if the surprise decision and conclusion
of the tribunal doesn’t shock, nothing else
will!
What is not in doubt is that the tribunal’s
ruling continues to puzzle many close
watchers of events in the state, especially
with the fact that not a single candidate in
the PDP even went to court to challenge
Ishaku’s emergence as the PDP flag-bearer
to contest the April 11 election! In the first
run of the election, Ishaku scored 317,198
votes while the APC’s Alhassan polled
262,386. The difference between the votes
of both candidates was 54,812. Over
100,000 potential votes were cancelled at
some polling units.
However, INEC, through its Returning
Officer for the election in the state, Prof.
Muhammad Kariey, on April 13, declared it
inconclusive and announced there would be
a supplementary election within 30 days.
INEC specifically said it took the position
following its discovery that the total
number of votes rejected and cancelled was
more than the total votes with which Ishaku
led the runner-up, Hajia Alhassan. Of
course, INEC’s position made sense and
Ishaku had no cause to argue against it
despite the fact that he was leading. The
electoral body, through its Head of Public
Affairs in the state, Fabian Yame, later
announced April 25 as the date for the
runoff which held in Donga Local
Government Area of the state, and some
polling units in Bali, Karim Lamido, Takum,
Ussa, Wukari, Yorro and Zing. INEC
eventually declared Ishaku the clear winner
of the election with 369,318 votes to the
APC’s Alhassan who scored 275,984 votes.
The victory thus cleared the coast for him
to commence his mission of rescuing and
rebuilding Taraba State while seeking to
position it as a state to watch in the
North- East geopolitical zone of the
country.
Indeed, immediately he was sworn in on
May 29, Ishaku promised to be the
governor of all Tarabans and asked for the
cooperation of people in the quest to move
the state forward. He pointed out some
achievements of former Governor Danbaba
Suntai and promised to continue from
where Suntai stopped. He equally urged the
people to set aside all political, religious
and ethnic differences and unite to move
the state forward. Towards tackling crime
as well as religious and ethnic crises in the
state, he promised that his government
would introduce community policing aside
urging civil servants in the state to be
guided by the rules, adding that more is
demanded from them.
Understanding that the task of rebuilding
Taraba cannot be delivered by him and his
commissioners alone, Governor Ishaku
expressed his intention to work with
traditional rulers in the state and always
seek their fatherly advice on critical issues.
A genuine patriot that he is, and ever ready
to commit his all in serving his people,
Governor Ishaku also galvanised Tarabans
and called on them to ask themselves what
they will offer to the state rather than what
the state will do for them. With all
stakeholders in the state working together,
he added that the job of rebuilding Taraba
would be easier and achieved faster.
That’s why despite the November 7 tribunal
ruling, Governor Ishaku appealed for calm
and called on the citizens of the state to
remain peaceful even as he expressed his
decision to appeal the tribunal’s ruling to
wards upholding the mandate freely given
to him.
However, it’s clear that the Governor is not
losing any sleep on the matter. Already, his
party, the PDP, through its Acting National
Chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus, has
expressed its support for him in the quest
to ensure that his electoral mandate is not
tampered with. The party decided to appeal
the judgment. The party chairman stated
that the PDP followed every stage of the
Electoral Act and the party’s guideline in
the submission of the name of the governor
and his deputy to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), and said they
were not rejected while expressing shock at
the ground of the nullification of the elec
tion.
And a week after the tribunal’s judgement,
Governor Ishaku launched his “Rescue
Agenda” for Taraba State while swearing in
his 20 commissioners. The Rescue Agenda
is hinged on the pillars of health, education,
economic development, agriculture, peace
and security. At the ceremony, the governor
urged the commissioners to quickly key into
his mission to cover all lost grounds in the
state and work together to make Taraba
equal to none among states in the North-
East geopolitical zone.
Large crowds of people from across the
state turned up to witness the ceremony
and also show solidarity with their
governor. Of course, Governor Ishaku used
the opportunity to express his confidence in
the judiciary and assured his supporters of
his optimism that the judgement of the
tribunal would be upturned by the Court of
Appeal.
Judging by the vigour and manner with
which the governor and his team are
carrying on, it’s clear that the mission to
rebuild Taraba is very much on course and
the citizens of the state have absolutely
nothing to worry about. Without a doubt,
Ishaku’s experience as an architect of
almost 40 years will come in good stead as
he focuses on achieving his Rescue Agenda
and transforming Taraba into a much more
modern state. Yes, there may be some level
of uncertainty among some of his
supporters. Yes, the tribunal’s ruling could
come across to some as a setback.
However, I believe it’s only a temporary one
that Tarabans and well-meaning Nigerians
expect to be overturned by the Appeal
Court in the interest of justice. It’s just a
matter of time.
,Ikpechi writes from Abuja |
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