My long litigation isn’t lost

However, the Supreme Court which is the highest court in our dear country, ruled that I shouldn’t be granted right to file fresh appeal and be heard because of due process in the filing of my cases (technicalities).     I cannot appeal that judgment because the law doesn’t permit so.  I am however very contented […]

However, the Supreme Court which is the highest court in our dear country, ruled that I shouldn’t be granted right to file fresh appeal and be heard because of due process in the filing of my cases (technicalities).

    I cannot appeal that judgment because the law doesn’t permit so.  I am however very contented that my struggles, much as they were painstaking, would in the short and long term help in deepening democracy in Yobe State and Nigeria as a whole. I am sure that in future elections, many political aspirants would develop apathy in accepting to become substituted candidates because going by the just halted litigations, candidates who take the mandates of others through substitution would expect so much hurdle and by the grace of God, there will be no more escape for anyone who takes the mandate of another by cutting corners. Substitution is no doubt a very big threat to party internal democracy, political stability and indeed peace and national security. I urge all of us to continually pray for Nigeria to persistently have in place a resolute judiciary that would firmly stand against this threat called substitution.

    I wish to state that, much as I cannot claim to be happy with the Supreme Court’s ruling, I am in high spirits with the fact that the ruling came when we still have time to collectively reflect and strategize in our next line of action ahead of the 2011 general elections.

Senator Usman Albishir, a founding member of the ANPP (defunct APP) represented Yobe North senatorial district from 1999 to 2007 and can be reached at [email protected].