By Martins Dickson
Will the 2007 scenario repeat itself in Adamawa? Or will it be another 2014 debacle? Like they say, time shall tell.
The 2023 Adamawa Governorship election and indeed some legislative offices contested are yet to be finally closed hence my choice of caption NOT YET UHURU. The unthinkable can still happen, the unexpected can upturn the table, depending on the interpretation of our laws and judicial wisdom.
Inspite of the Adamawa scenario which left tongues wagging some rightly while others altruistically wrong, it is important to note that all the happenings have more than two sides and not just a single narrative.
The weaponization of violence is one side, the double declaration of Governorship election result is another while the falsification, Doctoring and mutilation of results from polling units, ward and the Local government collation points is another grave side.
Firstly, it is already clear from videos and pictures of happenings in the public domain that the preliminary evidence of the weaponization of violence came from one section of the contending parties, and it’s candidate, with indictments and arrests of party supporters and security personnel. Investigations in that regard are still ongoing.
Secondly, the double declaration is a matter to be determined by our law courts, especially the first declaration by the Adamawa State Resident electoral commissioner at the time, Barr. Yunusa Hudu Ari. The manner in which it was carried out and the constitutional mandate to carry it out will be justifiable or not when the courts make a pronouncement in that regard.
The third issue which is the crux of the matter before the Governorship election petition tribunal is the determination of the actual lawful and legitimate votes that is supposed to determine the winner of the Governorship election. These carries the interpretation of the will of the majority of the voters in Adamawa State.
The three issues outlined are independent of the other though they are mutually inclusive been happenings during the process of the election. In Spite of the errors of commission or omission characterizing the process,the major determinant of the seat of the Governor will be the legitimate and lawful votes cast.
Just like gold is passed through the fire to remove impurities and extract the valuable expensive substance, so will the Adamawa state Governorship election ballots be subjected to the strength of our laws to remove illegimate votes, expunge unlawful ballots and rely on the legitimate lawful votes cast to determine who won the Governorship election as prayed the tribunal by Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the APC as a political party. This is the task before the Governorship election petitions tribunal.
Senator Binani’s prayer at the tribunal should be or ought to be the prayer of every Adamawa person because It is expected that the desire of every Adamawa person irrespective of political inclination would be to proudly say that who ever is the Governor that presides over the affairs of the state is doing so with the legitimate lawful mandate of the majority of the people of the state as prescribed by the electoral act and our Constitution. Isn’t that the reason why we have elections? Until that is assuredly certain, it is not yet UHURU.
Suffice it to say that the single biased narrative being pushed in the media does not reflect all the happenings during and after the elections, all sides must be placed on the table and this time around they have all been placed before the table of the Governorship election petition tribunal.
As the fireworks at the tribunal are set to commence we will begin to see a gargantuan heap coming to light, the tribunal will help decipher the dark cloudiness deliberately used to gloss over inadequacies.
The court, I agree, is the last hope of the common man. Here we are again relying on the court processes to rest a keenly contested Governorship election.