The Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Jalingo on Saturday affirmed the election of Dr. Agbu Kefas as the governor of Taraba State.

The three-man panel dismissed the petition filed by the New Nigerian People’s Party and its candidate Prof. Sani Yahaya for lacking in merit.

Ahead of the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal verdict, indication emerged that there are plans in connivance with a top echelon in the security structure of the country (an indigene of Adamawa) to have a well-planned protest match (demonstration) in Yola and cause havoc and unrest in the state.

A highly placed source in Yola is alleging that a defeated APC aspirant in the governorship primaries Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, governor Ahmadu Fintiri, and son of the Former Vice President son Adamu Atiku Abubakar, who the governor had promised to handover power come 2027 are allegedly behind the protest and security threats in the state.

Incidentally, Ribadu was in June 2023 appointed the National Security Adviser, NSA by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the source, the tribunal is expected to deliver its verdict any moment from now.

In his words ” To do this they have recruited unemployed youths and women buying them drugs, paying them a token of 20,000 each from across the 21 Local Government Areas and transport them to Yola with uniforms provided in PDP colors to give the impression that it is the party that arranged the protest.

The source further added that “there is a need to draw the attention of the Department of State Security (DSS) and the unsuspecting public that, this is part of their stock in trade through a false media campaign, intimidate the tribunal judges and send a false signal to the Federal Government that judgment must be delivered in favor of governor Ahmadu Fintiri whether he won the poll or not.”

“The people of Adamawa both Muslims and Christians massively voted peacefully and convincingly for the candidate of their choice. So please allow the Tribunal to give its verdict without coercion, intimidation, or blackmail.” The source maintained.

In a similar vein, another highly placed source in the state told our correspondent that “we have it on good Authority that the top security notcher in connivance with the Governor is also trying to recruit some section of the ULAMA to issue a verdict that it is not acceptable in Islam to have a woman in the position of a Governor in any state in the country especially in the North. All intended to poison the minds of Judges handling the Adamawa Governorship case and tell President Bola Tinubu that if the APC candidate is declared winner at the tribunal there will be security breaches and unrest in the state “.

“But it is the people of Adamawa that expressed their democratic choice. We are NOT operating a THEOCRACY or a Monarchy BUT a democracy.

A top PDP chieftain in the state Alhaji Adamu Kamale, had allegedly in a meeting with party supporters declared openly that if governor Ahmadu Fintiri is not declared winner in the tribunal, party faithfuls should create chaos, he maintained.

Atiku Ribadu, younger brother to the NSA, who has been running and championing his political activities had two days ago, summoned a meeting in Yola, at the Doctors’ quarters where he made the NSA intention to run for the governorship of Adamawa State come 2027 known.

His ambition was unveiled by the young Ribadu, Uba Dan Arewa, alongside other political associates where he stated clearly that if the NSA can not clinch the presidency or Vice president ticket, the least he can do is to run for the Adamawa Gubernatorial Election in the next four years.

At the meeting, after boasting that they had the backing of the Federal might, they agreed to pursue their political ambition to the end and crush all challenges. They assured the meeting that the NSA will certainly convince President Ahmed Bola Tinubu that Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, of the PDP, must be forcefully declared winner by the tribunal.

Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Duro Meseko says the most benevolent military rule is no match to the worst civilian rule.Meseko who spoke to reporters in Abuja expressed concern over the scourge of military coups in the West Africa sub-region

.He maintained that while most of the military interventions were as a result of bad leadership and sit tight in the affected countries, forceful take over of power is not a solution.

The Kogi state born politician however ruled out the possibility of the return to military rule in Nigeria.

According to him: “Yes, am worried about the scourge of military coups again particularly in some West African countries. I had thought that this era is gone and gone for good. For me it is not a good development at all.

” However, let me say this that in some of the countries where we have this military intervention, some members of the political class may not have done well but to take over government forcefully is not the solution and those rejoicing at such will soon begin to cry.

“Some of those leaders swore to oath of office that they have not kept. Some are changing constitutions to accommodate their personal whims and caprices. Some swore to an oath of 8 years but they end up spending like 20 years or more.

“However, in the case of Nigeria, as you have asked whether I harbor such a fear in Nigeria and let me say that I don’t have such fears for Nigeria because since 1999, no government in Nigeria has tried to go beyond the constitutionally stipulated term in office.

“Even under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when the Third Term was tried, it failed and failed woefully. Assuming we have such a government that is going beyond its constitutionally stipulated term, of course there would be tension and such a fears may arise.

“The coups de’tats now ravaging the continent are worrisome and that is why the political class in African countries must sit up to the realities of the moment in ensuring that they stick to the oath they swore to and stand by those constitutional limits of their tenure in office.

“If they don’t do that, the result is what we are seeing all over now. As the saying goes that the most benevolent military rule is no match to the worst civilian rule. Because under military rule, all your rights are curtailed, the constitution is suspended and you don’t have the right to say ahh this is wrong.

” You are clamped into detention or you are killed. But under democracy, you can shout, you can protest, you can make your feelings known and your freedom is guaranteed.

“Am sure very soon those running around the streets and celebrating the military takeover in those countries, they will soon realize that it is a very wrong decision.”