Appeal Court verdict on Senator Mark’s victory, a travesty of justice — Idoma youths

A youth group of Idoma people in Benue State, the Idoma Youth Vanguard, has described as ‘a travesty of justice,’ the Appeal Court ruling which annulled the victory of Senator David Mark in the Benue senatorial election in the state.

A statement signed by Mike Ogidi Oceibi, National President of the organization said it was ‘alarmed and indeed taken aback’ by the Appeal Court’s verdict, even as it said the verdict was ‘a deliberate assault on the collective will of Idoma people.’

“We had a meeting in Otukpo Benue state during which we deliberated on so many issues affecting our people. We are particularly alarmed at the Appeal Court Tribunal in Makurdi Benue State which voided the election of our Senator Dr. David Alechenu Mark.

“The tribunal ordered for a fresh election. We do not intend to join issues with the respected Appellate tribunal, but we are alarmed and indeed taken aback by the verdict. It is strange to us that the appeal panel tied its verdict on the difference in dates and ignored the collated results. “Interestingly, both the PDP and APC candidates and their agents did not dispute the election results collated from the various units duly signed.

“In fact , both agents signed the results from the units to the senatorial collation centres. Everybody turned in their results but in the dating by the INEC returning officer, he wrote 28th (the date of the Senatorial election) rather than 29th, the collation date. When his attention was drawn to it he said the election was conducted on 28th and therefore sacrosanct.

“It is therefore an absurd for anybody to insinuate that the results were announced before collation. This is strange to law and against known jurisprudence.

“We consider this judgment as an affront and a deliberate assault on the collective will of Idoma people. Yes, a rerun polls is in the offing. We shall resist any ploy to foist a stooge on the Idoma people as our Senator in the guise of a repeat election. It was by choice that the Idoma people voted for Senator Mark. It is by choice that we are returning to the polls to vote for Senator Mark again. All Idoma people at home and in the Diaspora are called upon to see this as a challenge to save Idoma from the deliberate ploy to subject us to slavery.

“This is a clarion call to save our people by rising up to the occasion to vote Senator Mark once again in the collective interest of Idoma nation,” the group said.