Kalshingi H Jedidah Gombe
Candidate of the All Progressive Party (APC) for Gombe- Kwami-Funakaye Federal Constituency at the 2015 general elections Alh Yaya Bauchi Tungo has described the recent judgement passed by the Appeal court in Abuja on the suit between him and the incumbent member Alh Khamisu Mailantarki as victory to the rule of law and justice to all.
Speaking to journalists at the weekend shortly after the court verdict which declared him the legitimate member to represent the constituency, Tongo said, he was overwhelmed with joy, on hearing the news of theverdict. According to him, Nigerians have been yearning for justice and positive change, and that justice has taken its effect in his case.
It could be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in Gombe while presenting return certificates to winners of the 2015 elections sometimes in April this year denied Tongo the return certificate and presented it to the incumbent member Maillantarki.
It could also be recalled that, shortly after the incident, Tungo stated in an interview with journalists that, his mandate had been stolen, and vowed to take the matter to court to reclaim his ‘hard earned victory’. He argued that Mailantarki did not in anyway, contest for the said position at the polls.
Tungo also denied the claims that he had failed to tender his defection notice to the Gombe State House of Assembly where he served under the platform of the PDP, even as he claimed that the then Speaker of the State House of Assembly refused to make his defection notice public on the floor of the House.
But Mailantarki on his part claimed he obtained an order from an Abuja Federal High Court, which ruled that Tungo did not formally defect from the PDP to APC before the election and ordered INEC to present the certificate of return to him instead of Tungo.
Meanwhile, the State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Barr Kassim Gaidam stated that, INEC is law abiding and that its action was based on the court ruling.
