2nd February, 2023
By Martins Abochol
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC in Taraba, Chief David Kente, has said the party has bright chances of winning the 11 March governorship election in the state despite recent debacle at the Supreme Court.
Kente, a governorship aspirant on the platform of APC said this while reacting to a Supreme Court judgment which nullified the nomination of Emmanuel Bwacha as the candidate of the party in the state.
The apex court in a judgment delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro on Wednesday had affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court Jalingo that nullified the election of Bwacha as the APC governorship candidate in the state.
It also set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal Yola Division, which had on Nov. 24, 2022, reinstated Bwacha as the governorship candidate of the APC in the forthcoming general elections.
The five-member panel of justices upheld the judgement of the trial court which had ordered for a fresh primary election within 14 days and parties to bear their respective costs.
It held that there was no valid APC Primary elections conducted in Taraba state.
The court agreed that the results of the primary election were purported and fraudulently allocated to the candidate.
The court also ordered that a fresh primary election should be conducted by the party to elect a new governorship candidate.
The High Court ruling followed a petition filed by Kente.
Kente had told the court that no governorship primary election was held in Taraba.
Justice Simon Amobeda subsequently nullified Bwacha’s election and ordered a fresh primary within 14 days.
The judge also ordered the electoral commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop recognising of Bwacha as the candidate of the party.
But Kente, speaking through Chief Shuaibu Ataka, the Secretary of the David Kente Campaign Organisation said he is ready to participate in the fresh primary of the party as ordered by the Supreme Court.
He called on the APC supporters in the state to remain calm and wait for the decision of the party’s national headquarters.
Kente described the judgment as a landmark decision that has brought hope to the people of Taraba.