Taraba Ministerial Nominee, Danladi, Eligible For Public Office –Lawyer

A legal practitioner, Ujah Israel Ujah, has debunked a news report that the Supreme Court had in 2019 barred the ministerial nominee from Taraba State, Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi, from holding any political office for 10 years over forgery allegation, describing the report as false and an attempt to paint the nominee in bad light.

Ujah, in a statement, said the story was not only meant to put Danladi in bad light but to also present him as ineligible for the position for which President Bola Tinubu has nominated him in the eyes of the approving agencies.

Describing the story as a false representation of events, the legal practitioner noted that the case under reference indeed came up on March 6, 2019 at the Federal High Court, Jalingo Division as judgement was delivered in Suit No: FHC/JAL/CS/1/2019 between Usman Udi & 3 Ors. Vs. Abubakar Sani Danladi & Anor, wherein he, Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi, was disqualified from contesting the gubernatorial election of Taraba State in the 2019 General Election.

He noted that, on appeal against the decision to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, the matter was struck out for being incompetent.

“However, at page 20 of the Supreme Court’s Judgment, His Lordship, Peter-Odili, JSC (as she then was) held thus: “Learned Senior Counsel for the appellants had sought to lead the court to the earlier situation relating to the cause of action at the trial court by contending that the trial court itself had no jurisdiction to determine the matter in the first place if Section 285 CFRN is applicable since the cause of action arose on 25th October, 2018 a point not disputed and the Originating Summons filed on 9th January 2017 which made the action filed 76 days after the accrued cause of action, instead of 14 days provided by Section 285 (9) of the Constitution,” he explained.

He added that based on the findings of the apex Court, Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi commenced an action before the same Federal High Court, Jalingo Division to set aside its earlier decision on the grounds that the Court lacked the Jjrisdiction to have entertained the suit in the first place.

The Court, he said, found merit in the case and on October 15, 2021 set aside its earlier decision as being a decision given without jurisdiction.

The Defendants in Suit No: FHC/Jal/CS/10/2021 Between Abubakar Sani Danladi Vs. Usman Udi &5 ORS thereafter filed a Notice and Grounds of Appeal to the Court of Appeal, Yola Division, which was later withdrawn.

He added that it was on the basis of the above that when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), prior to the 2023 general election challenged his candidature as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State, the case was dismissed.

Ujah added, “Giving all these facts, it is clear for the blind to see and audible for the deaf to hear that there is no subsisting judgment of any court in Nigeria disqualifying our client from either contesting an election or barring him from holding any public office.”