Nigeria Content Online

The court of appeal
sitting in Yola has fixed February 10 for its ruling on a 2007 election
related matter brought before it by Danladi Baido, winner of the PDP
governorship primaries in Taraba State, against INEC, in which the
appellant is asking the court to compel the electoral body to issue him
with the certificate of return issued to the state governor, Danfulani
Suntai.

The case, expected
to determine the fate of Mr Suntai of Taraba State, has been described
by counsel to the appellant as already running out of time. Falade
Bankole told the presiding judge of the appeal court that “time is of
an essence” after Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, who initially disqualified
herself from handling the case, was asked by both parties to continue
with the case at yesterday’s sitting because of time.

Mrs Zainab had
disqualified herself in apparent protest about the procedure of the
court after she discovered the other judges were in possession of
document missing in her own brief.

The case against Mr
Suntai has already thrown the governor’s camp into panic, said a
supporter of Mr Baido who said they were optimistic of favourable
judgement because of the precedent set by the appeal court ruling in
Rivers State, which is similar to that brought against INEC in Taraba
State.

Electoral watershed

The crux of the
matter, according to the plaintiff’s counsel, is that Mr Suntai was
illegally substituted as the PDP candidate for Taraba State and
presented by INEC with the certificate of return. Mr Baido,

who wants the court
to, among other things, declare him as the candidate for the 14th April
2007 governorship elections also wants the court to set aside the
purported change or substitution of his name as PDP governorship
candidate for Taraba State.

“The mandate won by the appellant was wrongly denied him by his party in collusion with INEC,” the plaintiff said.

But Mr Baido’s
resort to the law court, sources said, is not without its own riddle as
the appellant had agreed to a role in the Suntai administration as the
chief of staff before political disagreement reared its head. Some of
the governor’s supporters also claim that Mr Baido is being instigated
by a former governor, Jolly Nyame who is estranged politically from the
incumbent governor.

“The judgement on
the appeal court case reserved for the 10th of February is seen as one
of a few cases connected to the 2007 elections expected to be another
watershed in election jurisprudence,” Desmond Adebole, counsel to the
appellant, said.