Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the Taraba State Governorship election dispute, chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Barrister Ladipo Johnson, has expressed optimism that the opposition candidate, Professor Sani Yahaya, would win at the apex court.
The Appeal Court had dismissed his case which contested the verdict of the governorship election petition tribunal upholding Governor Agbu Kefas’s election.
However, Yahaya, who disputed the respective judgements, proceeded to the apex court to seek redress and reclaim the mandate, he said, was freely given to him by Tarabans.
In a statement in Abuja at the weekend, Johnson said the judgments of both the tribunal and the Appeal Court were “a total miscarriage of justice and lacking fairness”.
In a statement in Abuja at the weekend, Johnson said the judgments of both the tribunal and the Appeal Court were “a total miscarriage of justice and lacking fairness”.
He noted that the grounds for the respective judgements were at variance with the facts and tenets of law, saying the NNPP was confident that the Supreme Court will not tow the paths of the tribunal and that of the Appeal Court.
The statement read in parts: “Following recent declarations by the Supreme Court on such fundamental premises and flaws in the appellate court rulings and due reversals, we believe resolutely that Professor Sani Yahaya will get justice at the apex court.
“Of course, the unmerited deduction of votes and the inexplicable decisions on those controversial “eight crucial pages” in the document from the tribunal were issues of interest to the public and why such miscarriage of justice challenges our conscience as a people.
“The ruling of the Appeal Court, clearly, was against the principle of fair hearing, the facts and merit of the interrelated issues of the election and indeed the laws guiding its conduct and outcome.
“The ruling of the Appeal Court, clearly, was against the principle of fair hearing, the facts and merit of the interrelated issues of the election and indeed the laws guiding its conduct and outcome.
“We have so far seen that the appellate court erred on so many of its decisions as stated by the apex court on recent decisions in the governorship election petitions. We are confident that the Supreme Court will do justice to this case”, he stated.
In a related development, Johnson further drew attention to the report of the Returning Officer of the Taraba Governorship election, the vice chancellor of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Professor Muhammad Ahmed AbdulAzeez, which called for a review of the election on account of irregularities.
As stated in the report addressed to INEC National Chairman and dated 23rd March, 2023, AbdulAzeez had observed that complaints were received from NNPP on alleged widespread irregularities particularly in Wukari but the legal officer advised that review was not possible as dictated by the Electoral Act at the collation centre “under duress and tension” and as such review would take place in Abuja after application for review”.
Thus in his request for a review as a legal requirement for the sanctity of the election, AbdulAzeez had noted:”It is based on the above observations, I write to request for the review of Taraba State Governorship election result. This is as a result of the conviction that good leaders can only emerge through credible and transparent elections and the oath taken to be neutral”.
This review, Johnson said, was critical to the outcome of the election and in relation to decisions of the court
