Abdullahi Zuru, a special assistant to the governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Kebbi State, Abubakar Malam, in this rare interview with Chibuzo Ukaibe in Abuja, opens up on the ruling of the Supreme Court which dethroned the former governor, Saidu Dakingari of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Zuru also declared that the winning streak of the PDP in recent elections will be halted by CPC in the forthcoming rerun election. Excerpts.
What is your reaction to the recent ruling which sacked the former governor in Kebbi state, Alahji Sa'idu Dakin Gari?
We expected the judgment of the Supreme Court to be in our favour because of how the election was conducted in Kebbi state. After the election, we were not satisfied and so we filed a petition at the state election tribunal in Birin-Kebbi, and we won at the tribunal. But the PDP appealed against the judgment passed in our favour at the court of Appeal. It is important to note, that it is only in Kebbi state that four tribunals conducted the various litigations. In other states they had two tribunals. And the reason for this was that in the process of hearing our petition, the PDP will express loss of confidence in the tribunal. But as God will have it, all of the tribunals looked at our petitions and concluded that elections in Kebbi state were massively rigged. That was how we succeeded in getting 11 out of the 14 petitions filed. However at the court of appeal they thought otherwise. We were amazed at how the appeal court could say that the four tribunals have all done the wrong thing. But the PDP led administration tried very hard to frustrate the governorship appeal case right from the tribunal until the tribunal in Birin-Kebbi completed its work. For instance, they appealed at the court of appeal for the hearing not to continue because we in the CPC erred in filing notice of hearing. We argued that instead of filing through motion we wrote letters. And the court of appeal granted their request and terminated the governorship election petition before it was concluded at the tribunal. We appealed against that judgment in the Supreme Court which did justice to it and declared that the petition should be heard on merit and not technicality. It also ordered that the tribunal should go back and conclude the hearing and pass judgment. This was four days before the expiration of the stipulated period for hearing and delivery of judgment, but we won. We won at the tribunal based on the inability of INEC to produce forms which will indicate how it distributed the ballot papers and the boxes to wards, centers and polling units.
It was on that basis that we were proved right that the elections in Kebbi were massively rigged. They went to the court of Appeal and appealed against the judgment of the tribunal, and as God will have it the court of Appeal set aside the judgment of the tribunal but could not give any reasons for its actions.
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Some have argued that the court ruling which ordered the rerun was based on technicality?
If it was technical, then it was as a result of an attempt to frustrate our petition in order to? favour the PDP. Even if the real issues were looked at we still could have won because INEC could not produce the records of the voting materials. So the issue of technicalities does not arise, if it does then they have to know what caused it. So that was how we arrived at this moment at the Supreme Court. And we are happy that justice has been done. We are happy that the action of the Supreme Court has clearly shown that the present leadership of the Supreme Court is committed to ensuring justice and fair play in the polity. It is committed to protecting the integrity of the judiciary and protecting our democracy. That is exactly what this judgment has portrayed and people will begin to have confidence in the judiciary. And those that think they can come to government houses or win elections through rigging and fraud should have second thought with this judgment.
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In less than 90 days you will be heading to the polls and the same INEC will be conducting the election. What are your expectations considering you last experience in this regard?
Based on this court judgment we hope everybody will be on the guard this time. The people of Kebbi State who have been living in abject poverty for the past five years will not allow themselves to be used again. Yes it is the same INEC, but now that we have proved that the last election in Kebbi was not in compliance with the law, we will ensure that our votes are protected and ensure that the votes count. Yes some elements may attempt to undermine the process, but we are at alert. We pray INEC and the security agencies to be on the watch out. We are no longer going to tolerate a situation where INEC will give their materials to some people which will be used to announce the results of the election and not the ballot papers they use during the elections. This judgment is an eye opener because whoever tries to short change the other, the courts are be available.
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We have recently witnessed election reruns in Kogi, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Sokoto, Cross River, States, and the PDP sweep the polls. How prepared are you for this election?
The forthcoming Kebbi state election is not about PDP or CPC. It is for the people to come out and save themselves from the misrule of the past administration. Farmers are suffering, traders, civil servants are crying. So this is beyond politics. It is about protecting yourself and your rights which I am sure the people of Kebbi state are ready to go out and do by ensuring that they protect their votes which in turn will promote their livelihood. Moreover, our structures are still intact and our supporters are still loyal and committed. The dismal performance of the last administration which has subjected the people of Kebbi state to unprecedented sufferings will certainly be in our favour. The people of Kebbi state want to be free. I am sure they are ready to defend their votes. Our confidence is that, the people of Kebbi state will not allow themselves to be subjected to hardship anymore.
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But Darkingari emerged from the same political structure headed by former governor of the state, Adamu Aliero…..
There is no way you will talk about Kebbi politics and not mention Aliero because of the way he improved the life of kebbi people. Darkingari was a part of the Aliero movement but when he became governor he decided to move away from the vision and formed his own group which is no people oriented. He was supposed to continue with the good work his predecessor started, but he abandoned it. During the elections some civil servants of level 7 and below were sacked because of their alleged sympathy for CPC. Even during the hajj operation those who were in support of the CPC and who had paid their Hajj fares, had their monies returned. They were refused to perform their religious obligations for political reasons. Darkingari was never a politician. He was brought in and he won the election. If he had continued with the ideals of the structure that brought him in, Kebbi state would have been one of the best states, in terms of infrastructural development. So he abandoned the political structure that brought him and set up his own structure.
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How would you react to allegations that the relationship between Adamu Aliero and Darkingari went sore because of the refusal of Darkingari to share the allocation of the state?
This is laughable and degrading. Darkingari knows very well that Aliero was well to do before he became governor in 1999,Aliero had made fortunes from legitimate businesses before 1999, so for Darkingari to keep saying that Aliero wanted to share the state resources with him is very laughable it is insulting.