The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2015 elections in Nasarawa State, Mr Labaran Maku has said that Gov. Tanko Almakura’s occupation of the Nasarawa State Governor’s office beyond May 28 will constitute an illegality.
Maku, who said this while addressing a news conference at his Abuja Apo residence, insisted that the governor did not win the April 11 governorship election in Nasarawa State.
According to Maku, “I clearly won the April 11 election and this has been affirmed by the actions of the people of Nasarawa State who have remained in a mourning mood since the manipulated results were declared.
“I have called this press conference to say that, as far as am concerned, as far as the people of Nasarawa State are concerned, as far as God Almighty who giveth power is concerned, Gov. Almakura’s tenure expires midnight of Thursday May 28, 2015.
“His tenure will expire in the hearts of the Nasarawa people, before God and in the minds of all those who believe in the tenets of genuine democracy, so anything done by the governor crossing into May 29will be illegal.
“It is important to state clearly that as far as what took place on April 11, 2015 was concerned, Almakura ceases to be governor by midnight of May 28, 2015,’’ Maku said.
He called on Gov. Almakura not to take the oath of office as the governor-elect in respect of the wishes of the people of the state whom he said voted overwhelmingly against at the polls.
According to Maku, it is hoped that Almakura will hear the clarion call of the people and of God and not step into office on May 29 on account of his defeat at the polls.
Maku explained that his victory in the governorship elections of April 11 in Nasarawa State was purely on merit, noting that Gov. Almakura had performed poorly and was no longer wanted by his people.
He said the people of the state saw his candidature as the change that was being awaited and had voted overwhelmingly for him on April 11.
Maku said he would pursue his stolen mandate to a logical conclusion, but stressed that the governor should not present himself for the swearing in ceremony.
Maku wondered why the precedence set by President Jonathan in the 2015 elections was not being replicated in some of the states where the incumbents clearly lost the elections.
“In 2011, Gov. Almakura defeated an incumbent who had all the resources and power and the federal might to have manipulated the outcome but that was not done, the incumbent left office.
“Today, a sitting President lost, congratulated his opponent and will be vacating the office in respect for democracy and the wishes of Nigerians.
“Why is it that some people in Nasarawa State are insisting on a stolen mandate and this clearly contradicts the atmosphere that Jonathan has created at the Federal level, the idea that an incumbent must always win is condemnable and am fighting this on principles.’’
Maku called on the Nigeria media to re-echo the need for the entrenchment of democratic tenets in the country.
He called on the incoming members of the legislature to push for robust reforms in the nation’s electoral system.
According to Maku, there is no reason why anybody who did not win an election should be sworn in before the disputes are resolved at the tribunals.
“This has happened before in this country in 1979 during the second republic under the 1979 constitution, it was done and everybody was satisfied.
“It is also done in other parts of the world, election disputes must be settled before the winner is sworn in, this will end the trend where people with stolen mandates use state resources to protect stolen seats for sometimes more than one year,’’ he said.
