November 14 and 25 are significant, critically topical dates for the citizenry to discuss the political Adamawa, where lies the governorship…?
It is said that it is the court of law rather than the delegates or court of public opinion that would determine the next Adamawa State Governor after 2022, right from the determination of the the legitimacy of the parties primary elections in which the ruling party, the PDP and the major opposition party in the state, the APC are separately involved in legal tussle consequent upon clash of internal interests.
Monday, November 14, 2022 is slated for the hearing at the Appeal Court sitting in Yola, in response to the challenge against the Federal High Court judgement that disqualified the APC governorship primary election, hence barred the party from participating in the governorship election.
While Malam Nuhu Ribadu filed for the fresh primary election and disqualification of the Distinguished Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, a.k.a Binani from the race, the All Progressives Congress, APC at the national level and Binani as the governorship candidate have separately prayed the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court delivered on the 14th October, 2022, to dismiss the suit instituted by Ribadu who lost to Binani during the party primaries and to reinstate the latter as the legitimate governorship candidate, for the APC, the major opposition party in the state, to be able to participate in the 2023 gubernatorial elections.
“If the determination of the appeal court favoured Ribadu, being the second runner during the party primaries, which is also the hope of the vice chairman northeast and the state executive members of the APC, he could fly the party’s governorship flag, either through fresh primaries among three contestants, should there be the time and resources or would emerge as a consensus candidate, being the lone candidate that challenged the conduct of the primaries, when the other two have accepted the outcome in good faith.
Binani however has a generic rather than rented public support, joined by the confidence the party at the national level has in her to deliver, it would be disastrous to the party, should the court either upheld the Federal High Court judgement or disqualified Binani from the governorship race,” a political commentator, Okafor Komolafe John would point out.
For the PDP, the Supreme Court verdict slated for November 25 will determine whether or not the sitting governor, Rt Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri will fly the PDP flag to the 2023 general elections.
Ambassador Jameel Abubakar Waziri, who served as Chief Protocol to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has challenged Governor Fintiri, the PDP and INEC of disenfranchisement by disqualifying, delisting him from the party primaries after having fulfilled all the laid down requirements.
Waziri’s prayer was not heard before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja as Justice Obiora Egwuata ruled that his court lacked jurisdiction in the case brought by the complainant against the PDP, over the former’s unlawful disqualification from the May 25, 2022 primaries.
Waziri’s prayer was also not answered at the appeal court, hence has proceeded to the Supreme court, the highest and final level.
While some of the Fintiri supporters the Periscope Global interviewed expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would toe the line of the previous judgements, some political pundits and theorists are agreed that the case is dicey.
“Jameel’s prayer is so weighty, if the injustice was established, no Umrah prayer would facilitate any twist of fate in the Supreme Court’s judgment.
“Therefore, there’s every reason for governor Fintiri to feel being on a hot seat though he has “Fresh Air” as a.k.a.
I the judgement eventually turned against the governor, the race to Dougirei Hill would be among the opposition parties and with Binani, it certainly would be a walkover.
“The electorates in Adamawa state, especially the women and youth would want the judgements to favour Fintiri and Binani, so that between the politico-titanic duo candidates, who would provide good governance, consider social welfare, skills acquisition programme, improve the economy, provide potable water to every doorstep against utilizing water vendors from unknown or unhealthy sources, genuine healthcare system and standard of education, equity and equality of the citizenry devoid of ethnoreligious sentiment, honours the law, cultural heritage and traditional authority without undue interference and get the state out, from being a republic of debtors would readily be identified with the collective mandate” Yunusa Abubakar, the literary critic would observe.
Waziri had sought the following reliefs:
“DECLARATION that the Plaintiff is duly qualified to contest the gubernatorial primary election of the 1st Defendant in Adamawa State for the selection/election of the 1st Defendant’s candidate for the Governorship election in Adamawa State.
“A DECLARATION that the 1st Defendant cannot arbitrarily and capriciously disqualify the Plaintiff from contesting the Gubernatorial Primary Election in Adamawa State on grounds other than those stipulated in the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) and to disallow the Plaintiff to participate in the processes leading to the election including failure to issue nomination forms (Forms EC9 and EC9B) is illegal and unconstitutional.
“A DECLARATION that the 1st Defendant cannot issue the Plaintiff with a certificate of disqualification after the 1st Defendants appeal panel had adjudged and declared the Plaintiff qualified, eligible, and cleared him to so contest.
“A DECLARATION that the purported disqualification of the Plaintiff from contesting the 1st Defendant’s Gubernatorial Primary Election in Adamawa State is unconstitutional, illegal, invalid, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
“AN ORDER restraining the 1st Defendant from excluding or disallowing the Plaintiff from contesting the Gubernatorial Primary election in Adamawa State for the Selection of its gubernatorial Candidate for the 2023 general election in Adamawa State.
“AN ORDER restraining the 2nd Defendant from accepting the result of any primary election of the 1st Defendant in which the Plaintiff was not allowed to contest.
“AN ORDER directing the 1st Defendant to allow the Plaintiff to contest the gubernatorial primary election on its Platform for the 2023 general election.
“AN ORDER of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st Defendants whether by itself, agents, privies, officers or by whosoever from conducting the forthcoming gubernatorial primary election for Adamawa State to the exclusion of the Plaintiff.
“AND FOR SUCH ORDERS OR FURTHER ORDERS that this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance of this case”. (For details see the Periscope Global, May 19, 2022).