Senator Joel Ikenya, the Labour Party’s candidate for governor in Taraba State, has vowed to appeal the Federal High Court’s decision to invalidate his candidacy.
The state governorship candidate of their party “will be exercising his right of appeal on the judgment of the Federal High Court, Jalingo, delivered on Saturday, 4th February, 2023 in order to seek redress on the obvious miscarriage of justice,” according to a statement released by their campaign council on Wednesday.
The court invalidated the former minister of labor’s nomination as the party’s candidate for governor in this year’s general elections last Saturday.
The council could not fathom the reason behind his sack when the Federal High Court, Abuja’s judgement of 25th October 2022 had validated the candidature, “after the INEC monitored primary election conducted on the 18th of August, 2022”.
It said its candidate is not a candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.
Arguing that “the trial judge, for reasons best known to him, chose to declare otherwise; even when the facts had been placed before the court” the NNPP Senatorial Candidate for Taraba South, they said remain Alhaji Mohammed Ikra, and not Ikenya.
The council, who said they are “amazed at how the Court capitulated to the argument of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that Ikenya holds double nomination”, affirmed that “we are confident that the matter would be redressed by the higher courts.”
Also of the view that “a political party has no locus standi to challenge the nomination process of another political party or candidate” claimed that they are “aware of the boastings, from some quarters, about having the clout and money to ensure that the anointed candidate emerges the Governor.”
They said the council “do not begrudge them their privileged position and the enormous resources at their disposal.”
While urging the party’s supporters to remain calm, they beckoned at those trying to frustrate the party to, as a matter of urgency, desist from such acts stating, “We just wish to remind them that in all these things, it is God’s will, and the will of the good people of Taraba State that will really count at the end of the day.”