Tag: taraba state

Taraba APC guber aspirants threaten to boycott fresh primary

Some aggrieved Taraba All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants, say they have chose to boycott the party’s Feb.10 rerun primaries because it is against the supreme court judgement.

Sen. Yusuf Yusuf, the Spokesperson for the aspirants said this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

Yusuf, who represents Taraba Central at the National Assembly said the planned rerun was in contrast to the apex court ruling.

“For the purpose of refreshing our memories, the race to clinch the APC governorship ticket started in 2022 with seven aspirants who obtained the party‘s expression of interest and nomination forms.

“On the day of the primaries, while all aspirants and delegates had an unresolved meeting at Shield Hotel Jalingo, for security concerns.

“The chairman of the committee Mr Lawrence Onochukwu was taken to the police headquarters in Jalingo for safety,” he said.

He added that on seeing photos of fake direct primary election in the social media, Onochukwu granted a news conference that he never authorise any primaries.

He said that the election would hold the next day after sorting out all the issues.

Yusuf added that to the surprise of other aspirants, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha was announced as winner of the governorship primaries that never held.

“After sorting out all the internal mechanism within the party to arrest the situation, no effort was made by its leadership to do the right thing.

“Hence the need for legal action against the party and the acclaimed winner of the primaries Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha.

“The Legal action ended at the apex court and we were vindicated that truly there were no gubernatorial primaries in Taraba APC,” Yusuf said.

He said that before the case got to the Supreme Court, one from the six aspirants left the APC for New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) due to lack of internal democracy.

He said the remaining five aspirants decided not to leave the APC for intruders, but to stay and fight for their right and to protect democracy.

“Following the Supreme Court judgement of Feb. 1, that voided the purported governorship primaries that produced Bwacha.

“The party National working Committee(NWC) under the leadership of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu did not convene any meeting with the aspirants whether physically or virtually for any briefing.

“Rather, a text message was sent to us the aspirants, today Feb. 9, followed by social media reports that a primary election is scheduled to hold at Mumuye Hall, Mile 6 Jalingo tomorrow Feb. 10.

“This is a total and flagrant disobedience to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of David Sabo Kente vs Sen Emmanuel Bwacha,” Yusuf said.

He added that for the avoidance of doubt, the apex court did not at any time order for another primaries after it voided the acclaimed primaries that alledgly produced Bwacha.

Yusuf said the apex court granted all the reliefs sought in the trial court by David Kente except for rerun primaries within 14 days.

“As law abiding Nigerians and loyal party men, we are telling the whole world that we will not be part of the illegal primary election as scheduled by the APC Adamu-led NWC,”he said.

This, he said, was especially because the primaries as scheduled by the NWC was in total violation of the supreme court judgement as delivered unanimously by the five panel of justices.

He wondered why the other aspirants were not being carried along by the party chairman in every processe that would legitimately enthrone due process and internal democracy.

Yusuf said the APC NWC should be aware of the pending judgement in a case between him and Bwacha that had been slated to be delivered by the apex court on Feb. 13.

“Once again we want to let all party faithful to know that whatever illegality that is about to be perpetuated at Mumuye hall Jalingo tomorrow will be challenged in competent courts of our land,” Yusuf said.

February 10, 2023
Taraba state govt condemns gruesome murder of monarch’s family

The Taraba State Government has Condemned the gruesome murder of the two wives and five children of the Chief of Mutum-Biyu HRH.Alhaji Bose Sani Suleiman Mohammed, who were abducted by bandits two weeks ago.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Re-Orientation, Mrs. Lois Emmanuel to newsmen in Jalingo, the Government described the act as Barbaric,Ungodly, Inhuman and Uncivilized regretting that its sustained efforts to rid the state of Kidnappings and other forms of banditry was being thwarted by the recent developments in the State.

“The government reiterates its resolve to continue to ensure adequate protection of lives and properties of the citizens and vowed to network with the security Agencies in the State to bring to book the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

“The Government Condoled with the Monarch, His Royal Highness and the people of Mutum-Biyu Chiefdom on the unfortunate incident and prayed God to repose the souls of the Deceased and the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss the statement added.

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February 4, 2023
Supreme Court Judgement: Taraba APC Chairman insists that campaigns must continue

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State has maintained that its governorship campaign cannot be stopped despite the Supreme Court judgment nullifying the primary election in which Senator Emmanuel Bwacha emerged as its candidate.

The party’s Chairman, Ibrahim El-Sudi, who made a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, noted that the party takes primary preference ahead of the candidate.

Recall that on Wednesday, the apex court set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Yola Division, reinstating Bwacha as the APC governorship candidate in the state.

“The Supreme Court decision doesn’t stop anything because it is the right of an individual to go to court and they have exhausted it. And the Supreme Court has now ordered that there should be a fresh primary election.

“As far as litigation is concerned, we are not in control obviously; it is the right of an individual to go to court. It is his right to purchase forms and then contest. The constitution equally gives him the right to go to court and we have no control over that,” he said.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha

According to El-Sudi, the court has said no primary election was held and the party has accepted it.

“We cannot say otherwise. That is the position of the Supreme Court and we are bound by it,” he stated.

The APC chairman added he is looking forward to conducting a fresh election, which he said would take place in the event that the National Secretariat of the party gives the state chapter a new date.

“There will be a level playing field. And obviously, I am not the person to conduct the fresh primary election.

“It is the National Secretariat that appoints persons to go and conduct such fresh primary elections.

“All I am to do is give them an enabling environment for them to operate smoothly and then come out with a result,” he said.

February 3, 2023
Palpable fear in Taraba, APC has no Guber candidate as Supreme Court decides PDP’s fate today

Critical stakeholders in Taraba State PDP are in panic mode as Supreme Court is set to deliver the judgement on the Guber tussle of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state.

TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) monitored report the judgement will be delivered today, Friday.

This is coming a few days after the Supreme Court nullified the governorship primary election conducted by the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The Supreme Court had nullified the nomination of Emmanuel Bwacha as the governorship candidate of the APC in Taraba state.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, February 1, a five-member panel led by Kudirat Kekere-Ekun affirmed the verdict of the Federal High Court which held that the APC did not conduct any valid governorship primary in the state.

It means that APC does not have a governorship candidate in the state and would not be participating in the governorship election is billed for 11 March.

Meanwhile, there is tension among the members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, awaiting Supreme Court judgement on the party’s guber candidate.

One of the PDP governorship aspirants, Professor Jerome Nyameh had approached the apex court after the Appeal Court voided his suit against the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Kefas Agbu, on the grounds that he (Agbu) did not purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms.

He argued through his counsel, Pius D. Pius that the candidate was the party’s State chairman, whom he said presided over the screening of some aspirants jostling for various elective positions on the platform of the party.

At the time of filing this report, palpable tension has enveloped the camps of both Agbu and Nyameh.

Some of their supporters said they would accept the outcome of the judgement in good faith.

February 3, 2023
BREAKING: Supreme Court sacks Bwacha as Taraba APC guber candidate

The Supreme Court has nullified the nomination of Emmanuel Bwacha as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports a five-member panel led by Kudirat Kekere-Ekun nullified the nomination of Bwacha as Taraba APC guber candidate for the 2023 elections in a judgment delivered on Wednesday.

Delivering the judgment, the panel affirmed the verdict of a Federal High Court, which held that the APC did not conduct any valid governorship primary in Taraba.

Recall that the Federal High Court, Abuja in November nullified the APC primary election that produced Bwacha as its governorship candidate for the 2023 general election.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, who delivered the judgment declared that based on submissions made before him by the parties, the purported primary election conducted by APC on May 26 was a nullity.

TNG reports the Supreme Court affirmed the Federal High Court position that the APC did not conduct governorship primaries in Taraba and, therefore, cannot field a candidate.

Details shortly…

February 1, 2023
Court dismisses forgery case against Taraba APC guber candidate

A Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo on Saturday night dismissed an alleged certificate forgery case brought by chief David Kente, against the governorship candidate of the APC, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha, for lack of evidence.

Justice Bala Usman, in his ruling, said the plaintiff and his counsel failed to provide evidence to back his allegation against the APC governorship candidate as required by both INEC and the constitution.

Usman further held that having carefully listened to all parties involved in the matter, the plaintiff lacked proof of evidence to support his case and consequently struck it out.

Reacting to the judgment, Mr Dangana Tukura, Counsel to Sen. Bwacha, described the judgment as a landmark event.

Similarly, Mr Boniface Iorkumbur counsel to the APC, also hailed the position of the court as a true demonstration of fair justice in the eye of the law.

Iorkumbur commended the judge for his courage and patience in listening to all parties as well as delivering a sound judgment.

He further said that the inability of the plaintiff to call witnesses, especially those institutions where the 3rd respondent had passed through shows that they didn’t have a case against the respondent.

Meanwhile, Mr. John Yuwa, counsel to chief Kente, expressed that he and his team of lawyers would find time to study the judgment and advised their client on the next line of action as the judgment was in brief.

Recall that Chief Kente had approached the Federal High Court Jalingo, through his counsel, John Yuwa, alleging that the governorship candidate in Taraba, forged some of the documents submitted to INEC, that qualified him to contest the Primary election of the party.

The plaintiff accused the 3rd respondent of criminal presentation of false information to the electorial empire and the APC.

APC, INEC, and Bwacha were first, second and third respondents in the suit.

January 29, 2023
Court sacks Bwacha as Taraba APC governorship candidate

The Federal High Court, Abuja has nullified the All Progressives Congress, (APC) primary election that produced Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha as its governorship candidate for the 2023 general election.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu who delivered the judgment declared that based on submissions made before him by the parties, the purported primary election conducted by APC on May 26 was nullity.

The judge also ordered that a fresh primary election should be conducted with 14 days.

The court had on Oct 6, fixed Nov. 15 for judgment in a suit filed by Sen. Yusuf Yusuf seeking the nullification of the Taraba APC governorship primary held on May 26.

Yusuf, a senator representing Taraba Central, who was also a governorship aspirant in the contested exercise dragged Bwacha, the purported winner, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court challenging the declaration of Bwacha as the winner.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Ibrahim Bawa, (SAN), told the court that the case of his client was that APC held no primary election in Taraba.

According to him, the APC announced that it will conduct direct primaries in only three states and Taraba was not part of the three.

“The first defendant confirmed that direct primaries will be conducted in Taraba only after the primaries were conducted.”

He added that even though the appeal panel set up to hear complaints said there was no primaries held, the defendants insisted that the report was reviewed.

“The purported review was not signed by members of the committee, this court is empowered to compare the signatures on documents before it.”

Bawa also submitted that the Federal High Court in Taraba had in a recent ruling on a similar matter, nullified the election and ordered a fresh election.

For his part, counsel to the APC, Mr Festus Idepefo, SAN, told the court that he had provided evidence to counter the submission of the plaintiff that no primary election held.

“The issues formulated by the plaintiff is that no election was conducted at all. In response to this allegation, we have exhibited the results of the elections in all the 168 wards in Taraba showing the number of registered voters.

“We have also exhibited the INEC report issued in each local government area of Taraba. In a situation like this, we will expect the plaintiff to exhibit voters who were disenfranchised but no such exhibit is before the court.”

Responding to the issue of a similar judgment by the court in Taraba, Idebefo said that the case in Taraba was different from the current case.

“The plaintiff in the Taraba case said that the notice given to him for the election was too short so he did not have time to prepare for it. The plaintiff in this case is alleging that there was no election.”

The senior lawyer also argued that the allegation of no signature on the committee’s report amounted to forgery and falsification which was a serious allegation to which the plaintiff must provide proof.

He said that justice could not be obtained by legal ambush and urged the court to dismiss the case for lacking in merit.

Counsel to Bwacha, Mr E.A Ibrahim in his submission, told the court that he filed 459 exhibits on behalf of his client.

“The exhibits comprise result sheets for the various wards and local government areas.”

He prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

Mr N.T Abubakar, counsel to INEC told the court that his client would abide by the decision taken by the court.

November 15, 2022
BREAKING: Court nullifies APC Governorship Primary in Taraba

A Federal High Court in Jalingo on Tuesday nullified the governorship primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that produced Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha as the candidate of the party for the 2023 general elections.

An aspirant, Chief David Kente, approached the court challenging the conduct of the primaries and prayed the court to order a fresh primaries among other prayers.

Delivering judgment, Justice Simeon Amobeda, ordered that fresh primaries must be held for the position within 14 days.

Amobeda said that the defendant could not convince the court that there was primary elections through which he emerged as the flag bearer of the party .

The judge directed the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued Bwacha.

Reacting to the judgment, Counsel to Bwacha, Mr Ibrahim Effiong said that he will study the judgment and consult with his client on the next action.

Similarly, the counsel to the APC, Mr Festus Idepefo, SAN, also said he will consult with his client after studying the judgment to decide the next line of action.

However, Kente on his part described the ruling of the court as a land mark judgment as it proves that the era of impunity is over.

He said that the evidence before the court which influenced the decision has vindicated his position and that of most of the party supporters in the state that indeed there was no primaries and urged the party faithful to remain calm.

September 20, 2022
Explosion rocks Taraba State Capital, destroys buildings

Panic gripped Jalingo on Sunday night after an explosive device suspected to be a bomb exploded in the Taraba State capital.

The incident occurred at about 9:35pm at a location close to the First Roundabout leading to the Taraba State University, causing damage to some shops and residential buildings in the area.

Eyewitnesses at the scene of the blast claimed that the bomb was planted behind a drinking joint.

“A little baby of about four years was at the shop sleeping when the wall collapsed,” said a local who does not want to be named. “Luckily, she survived and is receiving medical attention at a hospital.”

Although no life was lost to the incident, the police have cordoned off the area to avert another blast just in case another device was planted nearby.

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Bandits kill three, abduct scores in Bali LGA of Taraba state

However, neither the police command nor the state government has yet to comment on the type of explosive it was, or measures being taken to prevent a reoccurrence of such explosion.

Residents, on their part, have expressed fears over what could befall them again, saying Sunday’s incident was the fourth in the chain of explosions that have rocked the state since the beginning of the year.

September 19, 2022
Bandits kill three, abduct scores in Bali LGA of Taraba state

Three people have been killed and several others abducted by Bandits in Taraba state.

The attack happened on Sunday Night in Bali town, the headquarters of Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Several sources in Bali told news correspondent on the phone that the attackers who rode on motorcycles attacked and killed a personnel of Taraba Marshall at a checkpoint near General Hospital before proceeding to individual houses to kill and abduct people.

The Tiv central leader and Chief of Tiv in Bali, Zaki David Gbaa (Ter Tiv Bali II) told our correspondent that two of his subjects were killed and scores, mostly women, were abducted in the attack.

“The attackers invaded the town at about 11: pm. Two of my subjects were killed in the attack, and two others who were badly injured are receiving treatment in the hospital.

“Many people, especially women, were abducted. It’s a terrible situation and I want to call on the government and security agencies to sit up and ensure the protection of the lives and property of citizens.

“For over four hours, the bandits held the town shooting sporadically and there was no response from security agencies. People are losing hope of the government’s ability to protect them and I think the bandits are no more than our security agencies,” he said.

This is even as the traditional ruler called on the government to support the injured who are receiving treatment in hospitals.

The attack came barely three days after bandits blocked the Mutum-Biyu- Garba Chede road killing a driver and abducting passengers in the neighbouring Gassol Local Government area of the State.

Efforts to get the Police to react to the attack failed as the Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Usman,did not pick up calls made to his line.

But a police officer in the Taraba State Police Command told our correspondent that the PPRO was attending a security briefing.

August 8, 2022