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Anxiety as Taraba awaits Appeal Court ruling on governorship election

By Charles Akpeji, Jalingo
03 December 2015   |   1:45 am
LIKE Kogi state, attention is now gradually being focused on Taraba state following the recent election tribunal ruling, which sacked Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship candidate of the All Progresses Congress (APC), Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan. From the standpoint of history both PDP and APC are no…

pdp-apc- 1.01.10 PMLIKE Kogi state, attention is now gradually being focused on Taraba state following the recent election tribunal ruling, which sacked Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship candidate of the All Progresses Congress (APC), Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan. From the standpoint of history both PDP and APC are no doubt household names as far as the political dynamic and social landscape of Taraba is concern.

While all eyes are now on the state as well as the judiciary, with the hope that justice would be appropriately dispensed towards the right direction, supporters of the two affected parties are on their own living no stone unturned to win sympathy from the judiciary.

Leaders of the parties who made their views know to The Guardian are all optimistic that the forthcoming ruling from the court of Appeal would be in their favour. Citing various parts and of the Electoral law 2010, the PDP Chairman, Victor Bala Kona, who said the leadership of the party has an esteem respect for the judiciary, stated: “ we are not panicking at all. We have absolute confidence in the judiciary, so we are optimistic that the ruling will be in our favour. Making reference to the neighbouring Benue state where party primary according to him was not conducted, yet the governor, Samuel Ortom, scaled through, the same scenario, as affirmed by him, would be respected in “ our state.” Also adding his voice to that of Kona, the commissioner for Information, Anthony Danburam, who is a lawyer by profession, wants Tarabans to go to bed with their two eyes tenaciously closed as the needed justice would be executed by the Appeal Court. On his own part, the chief press secretary to the governor, Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa, wants the people to continue giving the much needed support to the governor as that according to “ him would enable him execute his “ rescue agenda projects for our dear state.”

Also speaking to The Guardian on PDP’s expectation from the appellant court, the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Rebo Usman, who believed that the tribunal derailed from it’s constitutional responsibilities and “dived into something else” said “we are not disturbed because the appeal court will vindicate us. Sad that the tribunal ruling plunged the state into chaos which led to wanton destruction of lives and property, the state.”

According to him, the state “is no longer envisaging any crisis because we are very much certain that the right thing would be done by judges of the court of appeal.” Like the PDP, the APC as observed by The Guardian is as well not living any stone unturned to emerge victorious at the end of the day.

Citing the victory of the party at the tribunal that presided over the National and State House of Assembly, the party chairman, Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo told our reporter that “ victory for our party at the Appeal Court is certain.” Ardo who claimed that the entire elections including that of the governor was won by APC but manipulated in favour of PDP whom he said made used of government machineries to “steal our mandate” is rest assured that the tribunal ruling would as well be upheld by the Appellant.

According to him “even before the elections we were convinced that our part (APC) will carry the day which we did but the PDP went ahead and stole our mandate.” Referring to what happened in National and State House of Assembly tribunal where APC won all their cases, and went ahead to triumphed at the governorship tribunal that sat in Abuja, he said the same view “would soon be respected.”

Some members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who bared their minds on the matter aligned themselves with the APC. The members who spoke anonymously agreed that APC deserved all the victories “so we thank God for the tribunals that presided over Taraba state elections.”

While both sides are busy spitting fire, security operatives in the state are no longer sleeping with their two eyes closed. This according to a top security personnel is to avoid a repetition of the upheavals that erupted “after the tribunal ruling that took place in Abuja.”

Admitting that the needed manpower were on ground, the commissioner of Police stressed that the need for persons with the intention of causing chaos to as a matter of urgency seek for alternative way of livelihood was imperative.

From the tables of clerics from the two major religions, The Guardian noticed that the word peace has never ceased from their mouths as they have continued to call on their adherents to hold tenacious to peace by desisting from acts that would further retard the progress of the state. Before now, a group, Coalition of Taraba Youths have alerted security personnel on an ongoing plans allegedly by the PDP to ignite dust in the state, should their expedition at the tribunal fail to see the light of the day. Led by Barrister Ibrahim Junguro, they said “it may interest members of the society and Tarabans worldwide to know that there is an ongoing rumour that PDP cronies in the state have been holding series of meetings with a faction of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) planning to plunge the state into crises if pending governorship case on Appeal does not favour Governor Dairus Dickson Ishaku and his party, PDP.”

This, “is to inform the security agencies on whose shoulders the duties of protecting lives and properties of Tarabans rests, irrespective of their party or any political or social affiliation so as to intensify efforts in addressing same because violence or crime prevention, control and management is part of the fundamental of all security agencies in all human societies”.

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