The Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State in the April 11, 2015, gubernatorial poll, Darius Ishaku, was this Thursday declared the winner of the poll by the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja.
The appellate court ruled that the Alhassan had no locus standi to question the decision of the PDP considered internal affair of the party. The court overruled the November 7 judgment of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal which declared Alhassan governor on the ground that Ishaku’s nomination by the PDP was conducted in Abuja and not Jalingo, Taraba State.
The Abdul Aboki-led five-man panel ruled that the PDP fielded Ishaku and he was accepted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with no complaints. INEC announced PDP’s Darius Ishaku as winner with 369,318 votes defeating APC’s Alhassan who polled 275,984 at the ballot in April. Though Aboki admitted the testimony of the INEC officer, who testified that the PDP primaries violated sections 85 and 87 of the electoral law, he said the APC had no locus standi on the matter.
Of the five issues raised by the appellant, two were in favour of the APC and another two of the PDP; while the last issue on declaring Alhassan automatic governor after tribunal’s disqualification of Ishaku, was overturned by the appeal.
Aboki ruled that it was “gross mis-direction” on the part of the tribunal to have declared Alhassan as winner, declaring its initial decision as null and void, having violated the electoral act.
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