Appeal Court Verdict: Bwacha camp seeks alliance with former minister Joel Ikenya

The Senator Emmanuel Bwacha governorship campaign council has called on the former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Joel Ikenya, to close ranks with other well-meaning stakeholders in Taraba State to address the state’s political and developmental challenges.

The appeal follows a unanimous judgment by the Court of Appeal affirming an earlier decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which dismissed a suit instituted by the purported Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Sulaiman Ibrahim Ahmed, the campaign council urged Ikenya and his supporters to put aside political differences and work collectively towards rescuing Taraba State from what it described as bad leadership, corruption and governance challenges under the Kefas administration.

The council maintained that despite the divisions within the PDP at the national level, there was no justification for political differences to undermine the urgent need for unity and collective action in Taraba State.

It described Ikenya as an experienced grassroots politician and mobilizer whose contributions and political pedigree remain valuable to the state.

“The pedigree, contributions and wealth of experience of Sen. Ikenya as a grassroots politician and mobilizer can never be overlooked and therefore has more to offer the state,” the statement said.

The campaign council further warned that remaining on the sidelines while the state allegedly slides into lawlessness, corruption and political uncertainty would amount to a disservice to those who had worked tirelessly for Taraba’s development.

It therefore appealed to Ikenya and his supporters to join forces with Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, stressing that the latter’s overriding concern was to reverse what it described as the state’s dangerous drift towards disaster and reposition it for sustainable growth and development.

The council said a united political front and a collaborative approach were necessary to secure a better future for the people of Taraba State.