Stakeholders and supporters of the All Progressive Congress(APC) have continued to express confidence that the Appeal Court ruling on the Taraba State governorship election will be upturned at the Supreme Court.
They insist that it is only a matter of time before the party’s candidate in the election, Hajia Aisha Alhassan is sworn in as governor.
Speaking to newsmen recently, a chieftain of the party in Gombe, Julius Ishaya, said the tribunal ruling which returned Hajia Aisha as winner of the election, must be upheld to check internal democracy and impunity among some parties.
“We in the APC are law-abiding people; so we depend solely on the judiciary and believe that the Supreme Court will not let us down in this matter. I believe very strongly that Hajia Aisha will be sworn in as governor. This issue of internal democracy has to be tackled properly and the only way to do that is by ensuring that any party that errs is punished to serve as deterrent to others. Internal democracy is very important because that is where the entire process begins. If you get it wrong at the level, then the process will be messed up”, he said.
Ishaya added that minister’s victory at the Supreme Court and subsequent swearing-in will be a huge boost to not only the North-east, but the entire Northern region.
“Her success will encourage women in the region, who have been held down by cultural barriers. They will now begin to work harder to attain greater heights”, he said.
He warned against tribal and religious sentiments in democracy, adding “some people are whipping up religious sentiments on the Taraba issue, but people who do such do not have anything to offer. Hajia Aisha has all it takes to govern her state. So, this should not be about religion or where one comes from; it should be about what she can offer and she has proved herself through several achievements. I believe that she will justify the name of Mama Taraba that was given to her by the people”.
He maintained that even if a re-run is ordered in the state, the APC candidate will emerge victorious.
“I say this because she has done it before; she defeated a governor to clinch the senate seat. And for the people to have voted for her instead of the governor then, it means that they saw something in her. Look at her poverty alleviation programmes; they are very successful and have impacted on the lives of many people in the state. Her efforts cut across all religions and tribes in the state, which is why she has so much support”, he said.
He urged the Supreme Court to deliver a judgement which will help to entrench good governance while building on the nation’s democracy.