By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
A socio-political group in the North, Arewa Democratic Vanguard (ADV) has called on the Supreme Court to award the outcome of the Taraba State governorship poll to the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Mallam Sani Yahaya who it stated won the election convincingly.
According to the group, there was the need for the apex court to right the miscarriage of justice carried out by both the Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.
A statement from the group signed by its Coordinator, Mr. Yunus Ahmad Sumaila in Abuja on Monday also commended the apex court for the various judgments relating to the outcomes of the governorship poll in states across the country.
“We are happy that the judiciary has come out to correct itself, thereby restoring the confidence of the people in it as the last the hope of the common man. We are particularly delighted that the Supreme Court in its wisdom corrected the miscarriage of the justice in Kano and Plateau states.
“It is in the same token that we are also calling on the court to right the wrong that has been carried out in Taraba State by returning the rightful winner, Sani Yahaya who was validly elected by the people of the state,” the group wrote.
Sumaila on behalf of the group hinged its call on the report credited to the Returning Officer of the Taraba Governorship election who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Professor Muhammad Ahmed AbdulAzeez, who called for a review of the election citing widespread irregularities.
The university don had in his report to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated 23rd March, 2023, raised observation and complaints from members of the NNPP citing widespread irregularities and that he declared Kefas Agbu of the Peoples Democratic Party “under duress and tension” and as such review ought to take place in Abuja after application for review”.
The group called on Justices of the Supreme Court not to overlook this gross infraction on the Constitution and the Electoral Act by returning Yahaya as duly elected governor of Taraba State.
