TRIBUNAL DECLARES ALHASSAN AS DULLY ELECTED GOVERNOR OF TARABA STATE

The Taraba State Election Petition Tribunal declared Senator Aisha Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of Taraba State this morning. Its first ever elected female governor.

 The Tribunal held that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not conduct a genuine gubernatorial primary in Taraba State but only picked Ishaku Darius at a hurriedly Kangaroo event in Abuja

It is very interesting to know that after the April 11 elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, Professor Kyari Mohammed, had declared that Mr Ishaku scored 369,318 votes to emerge victorious,  Senator Alhassan came second with 275,984 votes, while Chief David Kente of the Social Democratic Party polled 29,966 votes to come distance third. However, Senator Alhasan rejected the result and lodged a suit with the election appeals tribunal claiming the polls were marred with irregularities.

 Alhassan claiming that the results ascribed to Wukari, Donga, Takum, Sardauna, Zing, Yorro, Kurmi and some parts of Ussa, Karim-Lamido, Bali, Ardo-Kola and Lau local government areas were not acceptable as they did not reflect the true results of the votes cast. This morning, the tribunal agreed with her and sacked Mr Ishaku as governor, declaring Senator Alhassan the duly elected governor.

Meanwhile, Senator Alhassan was nominated or a ministerial position by President Muhammadu Buhari and subsequently was screened and cleared by the Nigerian senate. Following her victory at the tribunal, President Buhari will now have to nominate another minister from Taraba State.