* Emirate Council has selected and recommended, High Court has passed judgement free from stay of execution, there’s the determination of the appeal court but the state governor is yet to honour the courts order
The Periscope Reporter
Some, from among the members of the Emirate Council, the Jalingo-Maiha as a community, the league of Human Rights groups in the country as collectivized composite of concerned citizens, sought to know what went wrong? Why should it have to take so long the undue executive delay? What a miscalculated contemplation before doing the needful; approving the appointment of the Emirate Council selected and recommended, the courts declared district head of Jalingo-Maiha?
The sage has pointed out that the Emirate Council, the courts of law and the citizens have played their parts; the latest being committing the cries to the Creator by means of Qunut supplications for Divine intervention.
“In Sha Allah, the Beneficent, Most Merciful has answered our prayers. We’re only rather patiently waiting for when He will command the approval of appointment of our district head; overruled every unconscious bias, on the part of the executive, with His decree; ‘Be, and it is’.
“Coining an analogy, Prophet Moses AS has prayed for the downfall of the dictatorial Pharaoh, Allah SWT has though heard and acknowledged what could be considered as genuine prayer against fascism; the response to the Prophetic prayer had taken about forty years. The bottom line is that tyranny would be gone for good in Egypt,” the sage would articulate.
Taking a retrospective lane, His Highness the District Head of Jalingo-Maiha, the Ubandoma Mubi of blessed memory, Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman transited to great beyond on Wednesday, March 19 2014; seven years and almost six months ago.
It was said that the then Governor Murtala Hammanyero Nyako, the Baba Maimangoro of remarkable leadership, waited for the name from the heirs or among the kingship – not any other decided rather by political others – to be recommended to him for approval of appointment as the new district head. This was not to see the light of day, with the undue Emirate Council’s delay.
Fast forward: Former Governor Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow would not approve the appointment of the Emirate Council selected district head of Jalingo-Maiha, for sentiment he would be left to explain later in life.
However, peeved by the undue executive denial of the kingship and fundamental human right to the leadership of traditional authority, the aggrieved sought for the rule of law, should there be equality before the law; there indeed seems to be.
The pessimist conceived that it would be a waste of efforts, time and resources; that it would be impossible to defeat a sitting governor before the law. Isn’t the pessimist challenging equality before the law?
The sitting governor, to the pessimist’s surprise, was eventually defeated before the law in a judgement of the Adamawa State High Court, presided over by Hon. Justice – the incorruptible – Hafsat – the uncompromising – Abdulrahman, delivered on July 13, 2018.
The judgement has restrained the candidate wrongly appointment by Bindow – using the then office as a governor, to have been the governor – from parading himself as district head of Jalingo-Maiha.
The declarative judgement has also, without giving room to any stay of execution order, directed the state governor to approve the appointment of Barr Mahmud Abubakar, the heir to the late Ubandoma, as district head of Jalingo-Maiha, being earlier selected and recommended by the Emirate Council.
The then governor Bindow would not honour the July 13, 2018 court judgement. The electorates would also not guarantee his second term bid, he was humiliated at the poll.
Announcing the new Governor; Rt Hon Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri, having sensed the previous injustice, has, at the inaugural State Executive Council meeting, on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, directed that since the Yola High Court has, in a declarative judgement, without any air about stay of execution pending appeal judgement, the court order must be honoured; where he directed for the approval of Barr. Mahmud Abubakar Suleiman as the legitimate District Head, earlier selected and recommended by the Emirate Council
In another rather uncalled-for twist of fate, it was gathered, Governor Fintiri was advised to suspend approving the district headship appointment pending the determination of the appeal court.
Almost a year ago, A Court of Appeal Yola Division, Adamawa state, northeast Nigeria, in a judgement delivered by Hon. Justice James Shehu Abiriyi (JCA) on September 25, 2020, has affirmed the High Court judgement.
“It isn’t clear, there was and still is, no any explanation from the reliable authority to justify the undue executive delay in getting the appointment of our district head approved almost a year after the final judgement,” a sage would say.
Some of the pro defeated by the court judgements, insinuated that the courts declared, Emirate Council selected and recommended would not have the blessings of Governor Fintiri before splitting the district by means of creating a distinct district entity to the courts nullified, former governor’s appointed.
“Curving another district out of, not upgrading Jalingo-Maiha doesn’t sound brilliant a bait, we simply dismissed it as figment of infatuated imagination.
“Another version has it that the undue executive delay was with a view to pleasing the courts humiliated camp. At what fathomable homeless, hapless and hopeless point? We asked.
“Isn’t it better to only displease the defeated side than to humiliate the victorious who will eventually must have to enjoy his right of place and position?” The sage would ask.
Jalingo-Maiha district head palace is still vacant about one year after appeal court judgement, few days towards another LG election and 2023 is summarily fast approaching.