The President of the Court of Appeal Justice Zainab
Adamu Bulkachuwa is to determine where the
appeal filed by Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of
Taraba State would be entertained, The
Nation gathered Monday.
Usually, the Court of Appeal in Yola, Adamawa State
has the jurisdiction and entertains the appeal cases
from Taraba. But with the sitting of the Tribunal in
Abuja on security concerns in the North Eastern
region, it was not clear where the appeal would be
treated, and only Bulkachuwa can decide on the
venue.
Ishaku filed an appeal for the appellate court to set
aside the judgment by the governorship election
petition tribunal sitting in Abuja which dismissed
him from office and handed the governorship to his
opponent Aisha Jummai Alhassan.
The Taraba State Attorney General and
Commissioner of Justice Yusufu Akirikwen Monday
said the legal counsel of the governor, headed by
Joseph Dauda, has filed three notices of appeals
which were already begging for treatment by the
Court of Appeal.
Akirikwen was reacting to reports that Ishaku, who
rejected the tribunal verdict, has failed to file his
appeal within the constitutional 21 days of filling an
appeal.
“The report is a mischief, meant to mislead
members of the public, particularly the teeming
supporters of the governor.
“Where did they get their report from? The only
authentic source apart from us would have been the
registrar of the Court of Appeal,” he said.
The Justice Commissioner who displayed three
notices of appeal, with official stamp of the court,
added that “the first appeal was filed by the governor
himself, on November 24; second appeal was filed
by the PDP, on November 25; and the third appeal
also filed on November 25, was by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Nation gathered that the litigant (Alhassan) also
immediately filed a cross-appeal on November 26.
The tribunal headed by Justice Musa Danladi
Abubakar, had on November 7, ordered that
Alhassan be sworn as governor because The PDP did
not conduct a valid primary that threw Ishaku up as
the its flag bearer.
The tribunal however said Alhassan could not
adequately prove her allegation of “over voting,
irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral
Act 2010.”
Alhassan has filed an appeal that the tribunal erred
on this ground.
“You can cross appeal only when there is a
substantial appeal pending. With Alhassan’s cross
appeal, it means we have appealed the tribunal
judgment,” Akirikwen said and added that the people
of Taraba should remain calm.
“The governor is going to guide and protect the
mandate given to him,” he said.

Source: The Nation

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