Fight To Finish As Mubarak, Garba-Chede Throw Brickbats Over Taraba Reps Seat
BY AMEH IDUJAGI, JALINGO – The member representing Bali/Gassol Federal constituency of Taraba State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulsalam Gambo Mubarak has advised his predecessor in office, Alhaji Garba Garba-Chede to stop misleading the public with claims that the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila conspired with some persons in government to stop his swearing in.
Garba-Chede had accused the Speaker Gbajabiamila of refusing to swear him in as the substantive member after a Federal High Court in Jalingo gave a judgement of mandamus to that effect.
Mubarak in a chat with Journalists in Jalingo, said that he has already filed an appeal against the judgement, adding that by law, he remains the member until he exhausts his options in line with the provisions of the law, which Garba-Chede enjoyed earlier.
In the words of Mubarak; “I think my brother Hon. Garba-Chede is being very economical with the truth. He is just trying to win sympathy of the public by weeping up cheap sentiments.
“In the first place, when the Court gave order for his vacation after it was determined that I was the duly elected member, I was not sworn in immediately. He remained on the seat until the decision of the Supreme Court.
“It beats my imagination that after the Supreme Court, which is the Court of the highest jurisdiction in this country gives a judgement, a Federal High Court will come and dispute that judgement and say that he should be sworn in. In any case, I gave notice of appeal against the judgement within twenty four hours.
“And so his claim that the Speaker has refused to do the right thing is ridiculous. The Electoral Act states clearly that if the election tribunal or court, as the case may be, determines that a candidate returned as elected, was not validly elected, then if notice of appeal against that decision is given within twenty one days from the day of the decision, the candidate returned as elected shall, notwithstanding the contrary decision of the election tribunal or court, remain in office until the determination of the appeal.
Mubarak therefore urged Garba-Chede to respect the procedure and stop dragging the name of Speaker Gbajabiamila in the mud as the Speaker is acting based on what the law says.
He further said; “Garba-Chede is definitely aware of this provision because he was a beneficiary of the same provision only recently. It is therefore sad that rather than wait for the determination of the appeal, he is going around accusing the Speaker of the House of connivance with some people in the government including a personal aide to the President to stop his swearing in.
“The Speaker is doing what the Constitution says and if he has confidence in the system that he is a beneficiary, he should please allow it to play out,” Mubarak said.
He continued; “Recall that after the party primaries in 2018, I won the ticket but unexplainably, the name of Garba-Chede, who came third was sent to the party. I went to the Federal High Court that declared me as the rightful candidate of the APC in the election.
“Despite that, the Certificate of Return was issued to Garba-Chede and he was sworn in because he appealed the judgement. It was not until the Supreme Court ruled in my favour that he was asked to vacate the seat and I was sworn in,” he explained.
In his own explanation, Hon. Garba-Chede told journalists in Abuja that; “The Federal High Court has granted an order that I should be sworn in as a member representing Bali/Gassol Federal Constituency, but I am yet to be sworn in.
“Though the order is the order of mandamus which means the order mandates the Speaker to swear me in. I am surprised that the Speaker disobeyed Court judgement and I doubt much how he will make law and disobey the law at the same time”.
He had accused Speaker Gbajabiamila of taking instructions from some highly placed people in Government to stop his being sworn in.
