Why we dismissed Mama Taraba’s appeal against Gov. Ishiaku’s election – Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday said the All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate in Taraba State, Hajia Aisha Alhassan, popularly known as Mama Taraba, had no locus standi to challenge the nomination of Governor Darius Ishiaku by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
The apex court made the declaration while giving reasons for dismissing the appeal of the APC and Alhassan in its judgement on February 11.
Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, who read details of the judgement, said the appeals and cross appeals had no redeemable substance.
The court held that the governor was duly sponsored by the PDP to contest in the election, adding that evidence brought before it had confirmed Ishiaku’s membership of the party.
The Supreme Court held: “The matter is very simple, the apex court has ruled on matters of this nature at different occasions.
“There is no way a candidate of another political party who did not participate in the primaries of another political party could suddenly rise to challenge the conduct of such an exercise.
“It is, therefore, clear that the appeals and all the cross appeals against the election of Governor Darius Ishiaku of Taraba have no redeemable substance.”
The apex court also declared that the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal grossly misdirected itself by upturning Ishiaku’s victory.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the tribunal had nullified the governor’s election and went ahead to declare Alhassan as the duly elected governor of Taraba State.
An appeal by Ishiaku set aside the tribunal judgement, prompting Alhassan and the APC to approach the apex court, which dismissed their appeals and affirmed the validity of the governor’s election.
NAN.