In a string of wins for the PDP at the Supreme Court, Taraba’s Gov. Darius Ishaku on Thursday trounced Aisha Alhassan, APC’s guber candidate whose appeal was dismissed by the Appeal Court in Abuja last December.
The apex court said Alhassan’s case lacked merit. “The judgement of the court of Appeal is affirmed and the return of the first respondent as the governor of Taraba is affirmed,” said Justice Bode-Rhode Vivour.
Alhassan had approached the court with applications challenging the decision of the Appeal Court which nullified the victory given her by the Taraba State Election Tribunal.
The tribunal ruled in November that Ishaku was not nominated by his party, and therefore not qualified for the said election.
Abiodun Owonikoko, counsel to Alhassan and APC, had re-echoed the argument at the Supreme Court on Thursday, citing the Benue and Zamfara precedents.
“What is decisive of this appeal is the sponsorship as a ground to qualify for contesting in an election, by the constitution,” said Owonikoko.
He even said no primaries was conducted at all by the PDP, which would have resulted in the emergence of Mr. Ishaku as its candidate.
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But counsel to Ishaku, Kanu Agabi, said the appellants had admitted in the third paragraphs of their applications that Mr. Ishaku was a member of the PDP and a candidate of the party in the April 11 elections of the state.
Agabi further told the court that they had presented 51 witnesses before the tribunal, who were not reviewed.
Counsel to the PDP, Solo Ahmed, said the party had never denied sponsoring Ishaku, and that the previous judgements cited by Owonikoko had indicated that issues relating to the conduct of primaries can only be contested by party members and INEC.
Defending INEC, Joseph Daudu, said the APC’s claim that there was no primary election was premised on the contention that the primary was conducted in Abuja.
For that he said the court should dismiss the appeal.
The seven-man Supreme Court’s panel was, however, swayed by the defendants’ arguments of no merit. And Alhassan’s appeal was dismissed.
The reason for the judgement will be given February 22.