Probe INEC over Taraba tribunal ruling, says HURIWA

THE Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) has demanded the immediate probe of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its role leading to the decision by the Taraba election tribunal to declare Senator Aisha Alhassan as governor of the state.

National coordinator of the rights group, Emmanuel Onwubiko, who addressed journalists Monday in Abuja specifically urged President Muhammadu Buhari, to constitute a commission of enquiry to unravel the mystery surrounding why INEC officials contradicted themselves when they testified before the Taraba election petition tribunal.

Onwubiko said it was unfortunate that the election petition tribunal relied on the questionable testimony which played the decisive role in the declaration of Senator Aisha as duly elected governor of Taraba State.

The rights group chief insist that it would amount to gross injustice to deny the electorates in Taraba the privilege of having Governor Ishaku as their duly elected governor owing to the misdeeds of the electoral umpire working in tandem with members of the election petition tribunal.

He noted: “Why would the same INEC that presented Mr. Darius Ishaku as PDP candidate turn round to say that the process leading to his nomination as the party flag-bearer was flawed?

“The question we ask is who authenticated the process in the first place? Why would INEC contradict itself, why would such a questionable testimony be the basis for the ruling of the tribunal?

“The President should come to the rescue. There is something fishy here. We are concerned because the ruling has led to the killing and maiming of tens of innocent Nigerians. Ordinarily as advocates for respect for human rights of Nigeria, we are expected to roll out the drums and rejoice that at long last in over 50 years post-independence that a Nigerian woman has made it to the most contentious political positions in the political annals of Nigeria to be crowned a governor.

“The difference is that Nigeria is a constitutional democracy and not a monarchy and so the only way to a person to become governor is not through court room arbitrary appointment but by popular mandate of the voters and from the text of this judgment it is presumed that the governor of Taraba, Darius Ishaku, remains the person with the highest number of votes and since the person being railroaded into Taraba State government house did not score the highest number of votes it is safe to call that court judgment an attempted civilian coup that ought to be aborted for constitutionalism to continue.”