Kebbi Guber Election Petition Tribunal Judgment: A Revelation

The Congress for Progressive Change CPC received with gladness the judgment of the Justice Mairo Laraba Yusuf-led Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, which nullified the election of Governor Saidu Usman Dakingari for non-compliance to the provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended). The Tribunal had cancelled the governorship election held on April 26, 2011 and ordered another election within a 90-day time frame.

It was a courageous, transparent ruling, which is devoid of bias. It aptly captured the paradigm of a citadel of Justice where rulings are based on the facts presented and not over-reliance on excessive legalism and noxious technicalities.

Indeed, this tribunal judgment has resonated the already-established view of the nauseous tardiness and compromising posturing of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as Electoral Umpire for the April 2011 elections.

The truth of the matter is that the Kebbi  Election Petition Tribunal has revealed to the whole nation that the distribution of ballot papers for the April elections was shabby and corrupt, laying bare the mendacious spewing from INEC to Nigerians that the ballot papers were code-named in tandem with the polling booths and collation centers to prevent rigging.

Furthermore, this is a personal message to Professor Attahiru Jega, (an indigene of Kebbi State), who as the Chief electoral umpire has failed to explain why vital electoral materials used for the election cannot be produced in court for the cause of establishing the truth.

As a Party, we view this bold Tribunal ruling as a loud statement from the Judiciary that as regards un-biased electoral adjudication, hope is not lost for the Nigerian state.

God bless Nigeria.

Rotimi Fashakin(Engr.)
National Publicity Secretary, CPC.