2023 Guber Polls: "APC Has No Governorship Candidate in Taraba," PDP Taunts Ruling Party

• The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned that the All Progressives Congress in Taraba state has no governorship candidate in Taraba state
• PDP issued the warning on Wednesday, March 18, following a Supreme Court judgement addressing the fielding of a guber candidate in Taraba by the APC
• According to the party, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be guided by the Supreme Court judgement which held that APC failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 with regard to the conduct of its governorship primary in Taraba

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, March 16, warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has no validly nominated candidate for the rescheduled Saturday, March 18, governorship election in Taraba state.

The PDP in a statement signed by the party's national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said APC failed to produce a governorship candidate considering the judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on February 1, in suit No SC/CV/1564/2022.

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In the statement seen Legit.ng, Ologunagba urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the people of Taraba State and the general public to note that the import of the judgement of the Supreme Court is to the effect that the APC cannot validly field a candidate in the March 18 governorship election in the state.

He said that this is because the APC failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 with regards to the conduct of its governorship primary in Taraba State.

Specifically, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the provision of Section 84 (13) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which provides that;

“Where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of this Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for election shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue”

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In the words of the Supreme Court:

“Section 84 (13) of the Electoral Act is quite clear on the effect of failure to comply with the provisions of the Act and the Guideline of a Political Party in the selection or nomination of a candidate for election. Its Candidate shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue."

Ologunagba added:

"The implication of the Supreme Court’s Judgment, therefore, is that INEC is effectively restrained from accepting or recognizing any governorship candidate from the APC for the March 18, governorship election in Taraba State.

"INEC must therefore be guided by the hierarchy of courts in Nigeria and the finality of the pronouncements in the Judgment of the Supreme Court on any issue or subject upon which it has ruled, ordered or given judgment.

"The people of Taraba State must note that any vote therefore cast or credited to the APC in the March 18, governorship election in Taraba State will be treated as a wasted vote."

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Taraba 2023 guber: Court gives final verdict on Bwacha's candidacy

The candidacy of Senator Emmanuel Bwacha of the APC ahead of the governorship election in Taraba has been upheld.

This was as the Federal High Court in Jalingo on Thursday, March 9, asked INEC not to delist Bwacha.

This verdict reaffirms the Supreme Court's earlier judgment which had ordered the APC to conduct another poll that produced Bwacha as the governorship candidate.

2023 guber polls: Fresh crisis looms as APC suspends governorship candidate in Taraba State

With less than a week to the gubernatorial polls, the Taraba state chapter of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) is in commotion.

An emerging report has confirmed that the Taraba state APC announced the suspension of its guber candidate, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha.

However, Senator Bwacha was unfazed by the development as he tagged it as fake news perpetrated by aggrieved members who lost at the primaries.

Source: Legit.ng