Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Aminu Abdullahi Alkali has expressed optimism that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Governor Kefas Agbu will emerge victorious at the Supreme Court.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and its governorship candidate, Prof Yahaya Sani are contesting the victory of the governor and PDP in the March 18, 2024 gubernatorial election in Taraba State.
The deputy governor, who was at the Supreme Court on Wednesday to witness proceedings in the appeal filed by NNPP and Sani, said the court has shown that there can never be miscarriage of justice.
The position of the deputy governor followed the request by the lead counsel to Agbu and PDP, Kanu Agabi, SAN, to the apex court to either strike out the appeal or dismiss it outrightly.
Agabi who led a retinue of senior lawyers, told the Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun led panel of Justices that the case of the NNPP and its governorship candidate lacked merit and substance.
He said that the appeal was grossly incompetent to be considered because of the several flaws in the way the case was couched and presented at the apex court.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, adopted the arguments canvassed by the governor’s lawyer in resolving the dispute on the governorship election.
However, lead counsel to the NNPP and Sani, Olusegun Jolaawo, SAN, appealed to the Justices to allow the case of his clients and grant all the reliefs they are praying.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had affirmed the election of Kefas Agbu as governor of Taraba State.
The three-member panel of the appellate court, in two separate appeals, held that Agbu was lawfully declared winner of the March 18 governorship election in Taraba State.
The appellate court held that the allegations of non-compliance, irregularities and other malpractices were not proved by the appellants in line with the provisions of the law.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Peter Affen, the appellate court had faulted the appellants for dumping documents on the court, stressing that even if there was manifest incidents of malpractices or irregularities on the face of the documents, the appellants ought to have led oral evidence to support the allegations.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal for being incompetent and lacking in merit on the grounds that the record of proceedings transmitted to the appellate court was not complete.
It will be recalled that a three-man panel of Justices led by Justice G. A. Sunmonu of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had on September 30, 2023, dismissed the petition filed by the NNPP and its governorship candidate for lacking in merit.
