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ANPP
to petition NJC over Adamawa governorship
By
Don Bassey
Correspondent,
Abuja
The
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) say sit has not foreclosed the
possibility of dragging the five judges that upturned the ruling that
declared its Adamawa State governorship candidate, Alhaji Muaz Adamu
Modibbo, winner of the 2003 elections to the National Judicial Council
(NJC).
Counsel
to the party�s presidential candidate in that year�s presidential
election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), said that option
is inevitable following the party�s dissatisfaction with the Jos appeal
panel�s ruling.
Said
Ahamba: �We won at the tribunal and lost at the Court of Appeal and we are
not happy with the way we lost and we have made no secret of it. I
addressed a press conference on September telling the world that we were
robbed of victory by a complete negation of legal principles.
�For
example, when witnesses are declared to have no probative value just
because they are said to be members of the ANPP. It is contrary to the
laws of this country or anywhere because members of a corporate body are
the people who should testify for that corporate body.
�There
is no law here that disqualifies people because of their membership of the
party. INEC officials who testified for INEC were left untouched. The PDP
members who testified for Boni Haruna were left untouched. Is that the way
we do justice in this country?�
He
accused the Jos panel of acting a script written by Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, when he vowed
that no stone would be left unturned to reverse the judgment that declared
that PDP candidate, and current governor, Boni Haruna, did not win the
2003 election.
Ahamba
said: �We have no evidence of bribery. We also believe they are
knowledgeable people. So if it is not bribery and it is not ignorance,
what is it? I have never believed in condemning the judiciary as an
institution. I have always limited my searchlight on a particular panel or
judge at any particular time. So, I want it to be understood that my
concern about the Jos issue was that if it is not condemned openly, with
time, it would affect the reputation of the entire judiciary.�
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