Described as ‘the kangaroo verdict that cannot stand’ in one breadth the election tribunal judgment that ousted Darius Isiaku as Taraba State governor of the PDP and returned Hajia Aisha Jummai Alhassan, has been interpreted differently with strong emotions. In the face of outpouring of sentiments, EMEKA NZE asks a pertinent question: Can this truly be the making of Nigeria’s first female governor?
The outpouring of sentiments that greeted the judgment of the Taraba state Election Petition Tribunal penultimate Saturday, especially from the opposition camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and sundry groups is such that implied conspiracy between the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the tribunal itself. But the APC said the PDP is reaping the harvest of impunity.
Essentially, with the Akwa Ibom Election Tribunal in Abuja which called for rerun polls in certain parts of the state and Rivers State shocking pronouncement nullifying the election of Barr Nyesom Wike as the governor of the state, all favouring the ruling APC, the PDP was gripped with palpable fear of a script being played out by the tribunal judges.
Analysts believed that The Taraba case seemed much more apparent. The PDP has since the inception of this current democracy held sway with minimal opposition in the state which explained the amazing shocking of the PDP faithful as Darius Ishaku’s government was torpedoed by the Election Tribunal judgement in what many have described as “hogwash judicial rascality and ineptitude.”
Within the state, evidence of a feeling of injustice pervades. A group known as Concerned Taraba Citizens swiftly condemned the verdict and referred to it as ‘daylight robbery.’ To the group there is no fathomable ground for the tribunal to give that kind of ruling which alleged that Governor Ishaku was not sponsored by a political party. They argued that if the governor was not sponsored by a political party, this time the PDP, how could he have entered the race since the law proposing independent candidate is yet to receive legislature’s nod at the time he contested the election?
The value of this argument by the Concerned Taraba Citizens is further premised on the petitioner, Hajiya Aisha Jummai Alhassan, favoured by the verdict who had explicitly stated in her petition that Gov Darius was sponsored by the PDP. If the politics of Taraba being a PDP state does not suffice in the ensuing debate, the Concerned Taraba citizens imported a religious hue where they noted that if elections were run over a hundred times, the PDP will emerge victorious in all the 100 times as the religious composition of the population depicts the Christians are more PDP and outnumbers the Moslems. According to them, the state is predominantly Christian and from the time of its creation, no Moslem has ruled it.
Governor Ishaku who was at the PDP headquarters last week to inform the party officially the decision of the tribunal and to tell them officially the steps I have taken to address the wrong that was done
He said: I will ask Mr President to uphold his anti-corruption stance by making sure that Nigerians see him to be upholding it and not to be silence. Mr President should uphold his anti-corruption stance which I think is the legacy that he has the respect which he draws from Nigerians and the fact that everybody knows that Mr President has the mind of fairness.
“ Mr President should not allow something to detract his sterling qualities which are acknowledged nationally and worldwide. He should be able to come out and put his foot down that justice must be done and seen to be done. This tribunal case was a kangaroo case and we do not accept it in totality. That the tribunal will say my election was won and the same tribunal will say that the party’s ticket to stand election was void, was absolutely absurd and I thank Nigerians all over the country who have responded, who have come out in the media to condemn it. I think all Nigerians are doing the correct thing to make sure that we have a society that is just. If we do not have fairness and justness in the society, the society cannot hold.”the Governor said.
Ishaku who affirmed confidence in the judiciary had this to say when he was asked whether he is confident that justice will be done at the appellate court: “I am absolutely confident with the judiciary. It is just a matter of any profession has its bad eggs. It is just like when you have a good driver and a bad driver. If you are unfortunate to enter a taxi with a bad driver, you have an accident. We have entered a bad taxi cab of tribunal that has had collusion, we are waiting that by the grace of God we will salvaged by a good taxi driver and I will tell you there reputable Nigerian judges that have their name to protect.
I know a lot of them and I will hope that they will come up to uphold the judiciary, I have confidence in the judiciary, absolute confidence in the judiciary.”
From the National conference of the party which held last week a communique was issued which read in part: “The PDP vehemently rejected the current manipulation of the judiciary and security forces by the APC-led Federal Government in its desperate bid to subvert the sovereign will of the people and forcefully take over states genuinely won by the PDP in the last general elections and ultimately impose a one-party stTaraba; Conclusive Evidence Of Judicial Double Standard Against The PDP.”
Earlier, the PDP in its statement said the judgment is another evidence of executive interference in the judiciary. The party said the reason given by the tribunal for arriving at the bizarre decision is intriguing and further exposes the contradictions and double standards inherent in most tribunal rulings against PDP interests recently.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh the Taraba state tribunal ruling again brings to the fore the organized plan by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Federal Government to deploy all unorthodox means to decimate the opposition.
He further stated: “It is rather curious and a great conflict of irony that the Taraba tribunal sitting in Abuja on security grounds faulted the conduct of PDP primaries shifted to the same Abuja on security reasons”, the party stressed.
The PDP said if the tribunal is faulting the party primaries as basis for its decision, it then means that no APC gubernatorial candidate can stand the test, as their party never had acceptable primaries in any of their states.
The PDP wants democracy watchers globally to recall that it had earlier alerted the nation and the international community of the grand design by the APC to use the judiciary to wrestle some PDP states, particularly Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Taraba states.
“Evidence that Taraba ruling was a product of Presidency manipulation can be deduced from the fact that few hours before the judgment was delivered, the APC had arrogantly announced their victory on the new media”, it said.
It further stated that “PDP said it is totally confounded by the brazing show of power by the executive and warned that the development clearly portends grave danger to our democracy and indeed national cohesion and development. The party called on its members across the country, especially in Taraba state to remain undaunted as the appellate courts will restore its well-deserved victory.”
The judgement precipitated another National Caucus meeting of the party on the October 29, 2015 which reached the following decisions. “That there is serious cause for concern in the nation’s political environment, especially as it concerns the survival of the nation’s democracy.
“That the gains recorded in the 16 years of nurturing of democracy in the country by the PDP is rapidly being eroded with non-functioning of basic tenets of democracy and perpetuation of actions tilting towards dictatorship.
“That the insensitivity of the ruling government to very critical issues being raised by the opposition is a huge threat to viable democracy and dangerous to the peace, unity and progress of the country.
“That the undue interferences by the executive arm of government on the activities of the judiciary, legislature and INEC using the Directorate of States Services (DSS) is clearly unacceptable to the PDP as well as the Nigerian people and the party resolved to vigorously resist such.
“That the party finds it offensive and provocative, the judiciary’s handling of cases involving it in election tribunals in some states, particularly, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Taraba, Ogun, Plateau and Lagos states. The tainted judgments of these tribunals, which are evidently products of arm-twisting from the nation’s security operatives under the direct command of an APC member remains unacceptable to us.
“The PDP states that the conclusive evidence of external influence on the Rivers State governorship election tribunal is the fact that it was able to deliver its judgment within 24 hours, in a case that had nearly 100 witnesses, 1000 pieces of documentary evidences and nine counsel’s final written addresses; each not less than 40 pages. The decision, in view of the rather interesting history of the case, indicates that the judiciary, like the PDP and the Nigerian electorate are victims of the APC-led Federal Government.
“The party expects the judiciary, as an institution to restore its image by taking immediate measures to protect itself from political interferences as well as ensure that needed steps are taken at the appellate levels to remedy the embarrassing ruling by some of the election petitions tribunals. The party has also noted clandestine moves by the APC to use various agencies of government, to manipulate the processes and rig the outcome of the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states in their favour and vowed to deploy every means within the law to resist such.
“That the party calls on President Muhammadu Buhari, as the leader of the country, to stand up for justice and equity and halt the undemocratic attitudes of agents of government in the interest of peace and stability.
“Furthermore, we salute the courage and unity of purpose of our senators especially as demonstrated in the Senate chambers today in their collective stand against impunity and corruption, in line with the wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian people. The PDP states that what the APC senators did today is a death knell on their party’s pretentious war against corruption.
“The PDP further notes that whilst former APC governors are being rewarded with ministerial appointments, their PDP counterparts are being hounded and harassed in the selective war against corruption. The party finally reiterates its commitment to the unity of Nigeria and the continued development of democracy in the country.”
