Politics

APPEAL COURT VERDICT APC CHIEFTAIN, GOLOLO APPEALS FOR CALM

Published

2 years ago

November 24, 2022

By Abdul lateef Bamgbose
All progressive Congress chieftain Dr. Garus Gololo, has called for calm and reconciliation while congratulating senator Aishatu Binani, the All progressive Congress ( APC), governorship candidate in Adamawa state.
Gololo the All progressive congress ( APC), chieftain, also the coordinator of the North – East pressure group, made the call in Abuja , on Thursday while briefing the press on the outcome of the court of Appeal ruling which uphold the candidature of senator Aishatu Binani, in Adamawa state.
“The verdict of the Appeal Court is the reflection of the will of the electorates who voted for Senator Binani in that primary and the teaming youth that are behind her in the state”
“I want to also appeal to the All progressive Congress ( APC), presidential candidate Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate Kashim Shetima to immediately take advantage of this ruling by calling all the parties to order.
Without Binani the party stand to lose not the governorship election but the presidential election in Adamawa state” he said
Dr. Gololo also called on Nuhu Ribadu, to put the outcome of the primary behind him in the interest of the party.
“It will not do Nuhu Ribadu or the APC any good to continue on the warring path, the election is almost here. Binani should as a matter of fact remain focus and embrace all the parties. The Verdict is a victory for the party and members of the APC in the state.

The Court of Appeal in Yola on Thursday upheld the governorship candidacy of All Progressives Congress candidates, Emmanuel Bwacha and Aishatu Ahmed also known as Aisha Binani for Taraba and Adamawa states respectively.
The Appeal Court set aside a ruling by the High Court nullifying their candidacy and ordered that their names be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the APC governorship candidates for both states.
In the court’s sitting presided over by a panel of three justices of the Court of Appeal, which had justice T. Y Hassan as the presiding judge and two others, Judge M. O. Bolaji and J. G. Abundaga, as JCA 1 and JCA 2.
The Federal High Court in Yola, Adamawa State, had on October 13, nullified the candidature of Binani as the governorship candidate of the APC in the state. Based on suit FHC/YL/CS/12/2022 filed by another APC governorship aspirant in Adamawa, Nuhu Ribadu, the court declared Binani’s candidature invalid and unlawful.
The court also refused to order a fresh APC governorship primary in Adamawa State.
Dissatisfied by the court ruling, which refused to order a fresh primary that would have enabled him, contest the governorship, Ribadu filed an appeal in suit NO.CA/YL/203/2022 between him and All Progressive Congress and two others.

However, the court in it’s ruling on Thursday dismissed the appeal filed by Ribadu but allowed Binani’s appeal seeking to overturn the judgement given by the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Abdulaaziz Anka.
Similarly, This medium sreported on September 20, 2022 that the Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, and presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda, nullified the governorship primary election that produced Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 election.
In his ruling in the case filed by one of the governorship aspirants, David Kente, the judge directed INEC to conduct a fresh governorship primary in the state within 14 days.

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Politics

Yahaya Bello: Kogi indigenes To EFCC: Don’t Allow Embittered, Ethnic Jingoists Lead You Astray

Published

2 months ago

May 29, 2024

The Gleamer

From Our Correspondent

Indigenes of Kogi State have cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against those they described as embittered and desperate ethnic jingoists who are strengthening the public opinion that the Commission is collaborating with certain opposition figures to persecute the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

The indigenes said since the allegation of corruption by the EFCC against the former Governor became a national discourse, “some persons who are afraid of chasing their dreams at the polls have hidden under the veneer of activism to sponsor their tribesmen to impugn on the character of ex Governor Yahaya Bello maliciously”.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, chairman of the forum, Benjamin Oguche noted that those still calling for the arrest of Bello even in the face of an ongoing court process, were either uninformed or out to rubbish the image of EFCC while pursuing their prolonged vendetta mission.

The Kogi youth leaders said this particular group had consistently pursued a “we against them” agenda, causing division and hate among the ethnic groups in Kogi, spreading falsehood and propaganda to the public on the matter.

“It is sad and regrettable that the so-called corruption allegation against Bello, which remains an allegation until established in the court of law, has become an opportunity for chronic political failures to unleash their intolerance and deep-rooted frustration on a state that our founding fathers have laboured so hard to unite.

“Without credible reasons, they have been said to have mobilised resources to fight him for daring to govern a state he hails from and for overseeing a free and fair election which produced another governor, not from their fold,” they stated.

According to them, the polarisation, ethnic and religious colouration that have been introduced in recent times into the EFCC trial of the immediate past Governor calls for worry, especially among every Kogi indigene who has a firm belief in the peaceful co-existence of the state as an indivisible entity.

“Suffice to say that what we see playing out today is a microcosm of what our country represents, where the so called minority is discriminated against, sidelined and treated like a lesser citizen in a country he has made equal, if not greater, contributions to building. The so called minority has been made to believe his voice does not count and his fundamental right to pursue social, economic and political interest taken away.

“Since through divine providence that former Governor Yahaya Bello became governor in 2016, several arrow of ethnic bitterness, needless attacks and corruption profiling have been targetted at him and his government for no offence other than for the simple reason that the responsibility to lead our dear state at that time fell on his shoulder.

“While God saw him through his four years in office, the people of our dear state equally and overwhelmingly renewed their mandate for him, sending him to go again, amidst hate campaign, violence attacks and ethnic war by some ethnic driven elites who have sworn never to allow certain ethnic groups have a taste of leading the state.

While this gathering is not about catalogue of exploits he achieved and the records he broke within these eight years, it is important to note that since he left office, same known tribal jingoists and ethnic champions have been having sleepless nights plotting the downfall of the man.

“The anti-Bello protests in the UK last week, Lagos last week and Abuja today highlight the glaring danger those they regard as minority ethnic groups face in the hands of those who feel that their population is for the purpose of suppressing the fundamental rights of others to seek political interest. One continues to wonder where the protesters gathered the money to go on a protest spray, if some people are not bankrolling them, which suggest a sinister plan different from genuine fight against corruption as the public is made to understand.

“We understand that the case for which these hate-induced protests are going on is in the court and the court is a place of orderliness where every party will push their stands without necessarily drawing dagger to murder our peace. We are, however, surprised that dimension of sustained protests have been added to their inglorious mission.

“We have often expressed our confidence in the judiciary and irrespective of how long it could take, the wheel of justice must grind to a logical end. We, however, frown at the seeming open hands the EFCC has been showing to the protesters which is fuelling an unfortunate suspicion that must be immediately corrected.

“While we welcome in its entirety the probe of the former Governor, we, however, reject the deliberate image smearing against him. We call on the EFCC to disregard the propaganda of ethnic agents and face the task of diligent prosecution,” the youth leaders advised.

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