Taraba Guber: Appeal Court Upturns APC’s Alhassan Victory At Tribunal

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, December 31st, 2015

By Ganiyu Nasirudeen

A Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja Thursday upturned the ruling of Taraba State Election Petition Tribunal, which had earlier sacked the incumbent Governor Darius Ishaku.

The Chairman of the five-man appeal panel, Justice Abdul Aboki, ruled that the first respondent and candidate of the ruling APC, Hajia Aisha Alhassan lacked legal right to challenge the alleged unconstitutionality of the appellant’s party – PDP primary in which Governor Ishaku emerged the winner.

Justice Aboki ruled further that Alhassan, also the current Minister of Women Affairs, lacked the “locus standi” to challenge Governor Ishaku’s eligibility to contest or otherwise, in the State’s last Governorship poll, held Saturday, April 11, 2015.

The controversies surrounding the PDP Governorship primary which held in Abuja January, 2015 was one of the grounds of Alhassan’s petition as well as Ishaku’s appeal.

The Jurist held that the respondent and lower Court were wrong on the ruling relating to the poll, non-compliance with the provisions of sections 85 and 87 of the Electoral Act.

Consequently, the appellate Court quashed the lower tribunal judgement’s ruling and subsequently upheld Governor Ishaku’s victory.

It would be recall the lower court led by Justice Justice Danladi Abubakar on November 7, 2015, sacked Governor Ishaku on the illegality of the location of the PDP primary and non-compliance of the Governorship election to the Electoral. The Court sacked Ishaku of the opposition PDP and ruled that Alhassan be sworn in as the Governor.