The Acting Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Taraba State, Alhaji Inuwa Bakari who was suddenly removed from Office by Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku and replaced by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters Alhaji Abubakar Bawa has opened up on why he is challenging his removal at the Federal High Court Jalingo.
Inuwa Bakari said he challenged his removal because there is no justification by any reason for somebody who actually managed the office and won governorship, senatorial, house of representatives and house of assembly elections can not be said to be incompetent.
“I am from Karim 1 constituency, won my Units, Ward and Constituency, delivered the house of representatives and senate as well as the governor, so I do not see any reason anyone can be appointed outside the Party to take over the leadership of the chairman and other positions of the party by the constitution are elective not appointive and it is clear that once the Chairman is not there the deputy authomatically takes over pending when elections are held”.
“I was called by the Governor who told me that one Abubakar Bawa was appointed as the Chairman of the Party, my thinking is that for the sake of democracy and Justice and for the sake of those coming behind there shouldn’t be any illegality if it comes to the issues of elective positions that’s why I went to Court. I challenged it based on the fact that it is democracy, to protect democracy and Justice, there is injustice there”. Inuwa Bakari said if he had been found wanting in anyway it would’ve been a different ball game but nobody will say that he is weak because if he successfully took a whole Governorship Candidate around and won election there was no reason whatsoever for treating him the way the Governor did.
He faulted the reasons profered by those who wanted just to remove him as a fallacy. “Their basis of argument was that the central Zone lacks representation at the State level which I disagreed, first and foremost the Central Zone of Taraba State has one of the strongest lion share of the leadership of the Party in the State, the National Vice Chairman of Zone E comprising six States Emmanuel Bovowa comes from Sardauna in the Central Zone, the Central Zone also has the State Sectary Kuriya Tafarki from Kurmi the State Women’s leader is also from Sardauna in the Central Zone and the Zonal Chairman from Gassol.
So when you talk of spread in the leadership of the Party in the State what is lacking in the Central Zone? And now you illegally appointed some one from Sardauna to be the Acting Chairman of three major positions of the Party from one Local Government more so you can’t have the Secretary and the Chairman from the same zone it cannot, all these are some of the things I feel should be looked into may be they just want to score cheap marks feeling that because they are in power they can do and undo which I feel should not be allowed”.
“I said no, I have to go and protect the party as far as democracy is concerned it is not done anywhere and cannot happen in Taraba State, we are witnesses even at the National level the Constitution of the party got root from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when President Musa Yar’adua died, Goodluck Jonathan took over and when Governor Danbaba Suntai had a plane crash his Deputy Garba Umar acted on his behalf, not that Darius Ishaku didn’t know all these for obvious reasons just because he doesn’t like Inuwa Bakari but the issue is not about Inuwa but about the Office, so I have to challenge this because I don’t have any body except God and the Judiciary which is the last hope of the common man”.
Bakari noted that there are many ways of legally replacing any officer of the party from National to the ward level under all circumstances like in his case, if he is incapacitated and can’t perform or for any reason the State Sectary or any elected officer can act with the consensus of the State Working Committee of the Party pending the next Congress of the Party, it is only the State Working Committee that has the Power to decide who to lead the Party which was contrary to what was done adding that no any veto Power that gives anyone as Governor or President to appoint anybody into an elective Office of the Party.
“That’s is why you can’t just appoint a President, Governor, senator neither can you appoint anyone into any elective Office of any organization without following due process. “I am not Power drunk and I have never lobbied for any position in my life, what God destined for me come to me without Stress I was called to vie for the position of the Deputy Chairman after serving as the State PRO and I don’t have to be the Chairman to operate in the Party but I cannot allow illegality or anything that will tarnish the image of the Party because when we build on fake foundation it will not stand and that’s what we cannot condoned and it is only the Court that will determined whether the action I took was right or wrong”.
On the allegation levelled against him as one of the reasons for his sudden removal, Inuwa Bakari described those making the allegation as the people who actually did anti-party because they didn’t even win their polling units. “Go to my polling units I have units not unit I am from Karim ‘B’ Ward whether I am there or not they will vote PDP and they have voted PDP, I was there live at home and we did PDP how can I be the Acting Chairman then I will do anything that will allow another Party to win not my Party that’s unthinkable it makes no sense they are trying another way just to give a dog a bad name just to hang if you are fool telling somebody this the listener is not a fool like you”.
During the mention of the case at the Federal High Court Jalingo, the Judge gave an interim injunction restraining Alhaji Abubakar Bawa who was appointed by Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku as the acting Chairman to stop parading himself pending the determination of the suit which hearing will continue on May 9th, 2023.
