Supreme Court ruling on Bayelsa, panacea for violence, fraud in politics ― Abubakar Idris

THE runner up in the September 3, 2019, PDP gubernatorial primary in Kogi State, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim Idris, has described the Supreme Court ruling on Bayelsa State governorship election as fair, just and a panacea for election violence and fraud in the nation’s politics.

Alhaji Abubakar Idris gave the commendation on Saturday at the burial service for the late Vice-Chairman PDP (West) Barrister Michael Kola Ojo at Okoro Gbede in Ijumu LGA of Kogi State.

Abubakar who is also the first son of the former governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, said he was in court to challenge the outcome of the PDP gubernatorial primary to seek for right things to be done.

Idris whose court ruling comes up on March 6, 2020, at the High Court in Lokoja said he is optimistic about carrying the day from the party’s standard-bearer, Engineer Musa Wada, whom he claimed used violence to snatch victory in the September 3, 2019, primary election.

He noted that the forthrightness of judges to deliver landmark judgement as exemplified by the Bayelsa election ruling is the panacea for those who would use violence and all sorts of manipulations to win an election.

He added that if the riggers know that he or she will meet fearless and upright judges that will sack them from benefiting from their atrocities.

According to him, what happened in Bayelsa on Thursday is a warning for the election manipulators that their ills will be exposed, stressing that if the Judiciary remained committed to their calling, the electoral process will become saner and up for the people to decide on those to govern them.

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”About the March ruling, I’m confident of winning, if the right things are done. We have pointed out the inadequacies of that primary and it is only right for the right things to be done.

“Those things that happened during the primary were not good for our democracy and for me, it is about getting justice for the evil done to the people of the state, and I’m very sure that the judiciary who demonstrated courage in the Bayelsa judgement will do the same in Kogi and then I will win,” he opined.

He pointed out that there were so many rooms that were opened in the course of the litigation that would have made him back out, but stressed that the court owed the people the trust to do the right things in this matter.

He assured his supporters of his commitment to the PDP that no matter the rough edges he will not defect, but rather remain with the party to correct the wrongs.

Meanwhile, he called on the judiciary to uphold the principles of fairness, forthrightness and courage in the discharge of their duties as the society is counting on them to help stabilise the nascent democracy.