I’m pleased despite losing Yobe governorship –Albishir

Albishir, who personally signed a statement that was issued to newsmen in Maiduguri on Friday night, noted that many Nigerians were nonetheless surprised with the judgment which upturned the right granted him by the Appeal Court in Jos to file a fresh appeal against the fact that a Maiduguri High Court declined jurisdiction in 2007 to hear him over his “wrongful” substitution by the ANPP.

“The Appeal Court believed, like many others, that an appeal is a fundamental right of a citizen regardless of the claims by my opponents that my first appeal didn’t go through what they saw as due process. Perhaps like most Nigerians, the Appeal Court believed that technicalities shouldn’t override the merit of any case, the right to be heard and the right to justice. This, many think, should be the focus of litigations because otherwise wrong doers would always escape justice using technicalities in court processes. However, the Supreme Court which is the highest court in our dear country with nascent democracy, ruled today that I shouldn’t be granted right to file a fresh appeal and be heard because of due process in the filing of my cases (technicalities)” Albishir noted.

He said he was still satisfied. “I am however very contented that my struggles, much as they were painstaking, would in the short and long run, help deepen democracy in Yobe State and Nigeria as a whole. I am sure, in the future elections, many political aspirants would develop apathy in accepting to become substituted candidates because going by the just halted litigations, candidates who take the mandates of others through substitutions would expect so much hurdle and by the Grace of God, there will be no more escape for anyone who takes the mandate of another, through the political corner cutting called substitution which is no doubt a very big threat to party internal democracy, political stability and indeed peace and national security. I urge all of us to continue to pray for Nigeria to persistently have in place a resolute judiciary that would firmly stand against this threat called substitution,” he noted.

Albishir expressed appreciation to his political associates, supporters within and outside Yobe State, family members, his legal team, friends and other well wishers for their support, prayers and love. Sunday Trust recalls that Senator Usman Albishir won the 2007 governorship primary elections in Yobe but was substituted with late Governor Mamman Ali, his opponent during the primaries.