Why Appeal Court rejected APC candidate in Taraba Aisha Alhassan, returned Darius Ishaku, as Group faults Appeal Court ruling on Taraba

The Youth for Development, has faulted the Appeal Court ruling which returned Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party as elected governor of Taraba State.
The group in a statement signed by its president, Thompson Yahaya, said ” everybody knows for a fact that the PDP did not conduct Primaries for ‎the April governorship election, so how can the court say they did”.
He said the setting aside of the tribunal ruling which sacked Darius Ishaku and returned Aisha Alhassan as duly elected governor of the state amounts to miscarriage of justice.
“It is not fair for the court to deprive Taraba people a chance at governance, just as it is not properly for it to enforce illegality. The law is clear on who is qualified to contest election in Nigeria,so we are shocked that the court will deliver this type of judgment”, he said.
Yahaya however expressed confidence that the ruling will be upturned at the Supreme Court.
“We will not lose hope; we believe very strongly that the Supreme Court will give us justice; by sacking Darius Ishaku and returning Aisha as governor.
He warned on the dangers of setting bad precedents, saying “the judges must be careful of setting bad precedents that are capable of coming back to hunt them. This type of judgment will encourage impunity and imposition of candidates among parties”.

Meanwhile, the APC Governorship Candidate, Hajia Aisha Alhassan, had called on people of the state to remain calm.
She expressed disappointment over the ruling, but urged the people not to lose hope. Aisha, in a statement assured the people of her commitment to the cause, adding that this is not the end of the matter, as she would be proceeding to the Supreme Court.
She warned her supporters against violence, saying they should remain peaceful as nothing meaningful can be achieved in an atmosphere of rancour.
She wished people of the state a prosperous New Year while expressing confidence that she would emerge victorious at the Supreme Court.
Appeal Court affirms Gov. Ishaku’s victory • Faults tribunal’s order
The Court of Appeal in Abuja yesterday set aside the judgment of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and affirmed the election of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a unanimous judgment, the appellate court held that issues relating to qualifications of candidates and conduct of party primaries which the tribunal relied upon in arriving at its decision are pre-election matters which it lacked jurisdiction to entertain.
Besides, the court held that the tribunal acted beyond its powers by declaring the petitioner and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Alhassan, who scored the second highest votes as winner of the election instead of ordering for a fresh election.
The tribunal had in its judgment of November 7, 2015 delivered by Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar nullified Darius election because he did not emerge through a valid party primary.
Delivering judgment in the three appeals and cross- appeal that emanated from the judgment of the tribunal which sat in Abuja because of the security concerns in the North-East, a five-member panel of justices of the appellate court headed by Justice Abdul Aboki set aside the earlier decision of the tribunal.
Justice Aboki, who read the unanimous judgment, held that it was a gross misdirection for the tribunal to have declared the APC governorship candidate, Hajiya Alhassan winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Taraba State on the basis that she scored the second highest number of votes in the election.
The court also held that from the evidence of witnesses to the petitioners before the tribunal, Governor Ishaku was validly elected and sponsored by his party, the PDP to vie for the governorship seat of the state in accordance with the constitution, the Electoral Act and in accordance with the election guidelines as laid down by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Therefore, the judgment of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is hereby declared null, void and set aside in its entirety. The appellant’s appeal is meritorious and is hereby allowed”, Justice Aboki held and affirmed Ishaku as the duly-elected governor.