Still on Adamawa election tribunal ruling
What I said in my write-up was that the circumstances surrounding the ruling of the lower tribunal pointed to shady activities and midnight conspiratorial arrangement. If there was any shred of doubt in my stand on the issue, it has now been completely erased by the latest ruling of the Appeal Tribunal or the comical […]
What I said in my write-up was that the circumstances surrounding the ruling of the lower tribunal pointed to shady activities and midnight conspiratorial arrangement. If there was any shred of doubt in my stand on the issue, it has now been completely erased by the latest ruling of the Appeal Tribunal or the comical events leading to it.
Immediately their case was dismissed at the lower tribunal on July 25, the dissatisfied parties commenced procedures to challenge the judgment. The Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) filed 14 grounds of appeal and formulated nine issues while its governorship candidate in the election, Engr. Markus Gundiri filed 19 grounds and formulated eight issues. In all, there were 33 whopping grounds of appeal.
The Acting President of the Court of Appeal, who was appointed in controversial circumstances following the contentious suspension of Justice Ayo Salami, was expected to constitute an appeal panel to handle the case. Curiously, it took great trouble to have this done.
The complainants had waited and waited for the appeal panel to be constituted. On September 18, 2012 they sent a reminder to the President of the Court of Appeal requesting him to empanel the appeal tribunal in view of the 60 days time frame allowed for the appeal. The Acting President of the Court of Appeal was said to be on annual leave.
Sensing that it was a ploy to deny ACN and its candidate, Gundiri the right to be heard, the party raised alarm and petitioned the National Judiciary Council and the Chief Justice of Nigeria. The vociferous National Publicity Secretary of ACAN, Alhaji Lai Muhammed also warned that “the conduct of the Appeal Court was deliberately designed to deny the party and its candidate the right to be heard.” With barely three days before the case became statute barred, the Chief Justice of Nigeria directed the Court of Appeal to constitute a panel and move to Yola, Adamawa State whether by land, sea or air.
And the well known Justice Amina Bulkachiwa headed the panel. They travelled by road and slept in Jalingo, arriving Yola on Thursday September 20, 2012. Thus the tribunal had only one day to sit and one day to write and deliver judgment. The panel dismissed all the 33 grounds of appeal. The tribunal granted total victory to Murtala Nyako and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Even the famous film character, the Terminator, could not have done it better. The swift action of the panel and discarding of 33 grounds must qualify as the eighth wonder of the world.
In any case, the ACN and its supporters were not expectant or perturbed by the outcome of the case. The hope of hundreds of thousands of the good people of Adamawa State had been dealt a double blow, first by INEC and now by the judiciary where they ran to, for succor.
In his write up, Iyawa argued that the ACN could not be looking for victory from an election they alleged to have been marred by “massive irregularities, ballot stuffing, multiple thumb prints and falsification of result”. Indeed, what the ACN and its governorship candidate prayed for, was the separation of the grains from the chaff, in other words, the removal of authentic votes from the manufactured ones. The petitioners wanted all the votes “donated” to PDP from the irregularities listed above, to be removed as they do not represent the actual or authentic votes of the Adamawa people.
For lack of any tangible thing to say on this, Iyawa veered into the irrelevant issue of “massive achievements” by Governor Murtala Nyako, in infrastructure and education. I am neither from Adamawa state nor live there and therefore cannot see Nyako’s “massive projects”. My friends in Yola say they have not seen the projects either. I will have to come to Yola armed with binoculars, magnifying glasses, range finders and spectroscopes to locate Iyawa’s massive projects.
Iyawa also delved into the very grave issue of the alleged killing and burial of some 72 people. There are many disturbing questions for Iyawa. What is the identity of the victims? Where did they come from and for what? Was my friend Iyawa at the scene of the massacre where he counted 72 bodies or was he involved in the deployment of the men, following which 72 did not return?
If government had promoted peace and tranquility among its citizens irrespective of ethnicity and religion the people will not resort to self-help to settle their differences. Government owes its people an explanation. Like John Donne, the English playwright, I abhor killing and will not defend any community engaged in senseless killings because “the death of everyone diminishes me”. But the government which claims to represent all citizens of Adamawa State has not come clean and therefore creates the impression that it favours some people to the detriment of others.
Ishaq wrote from Jalingo, Taraba State