The Court of Appeal holding in Yola, the Adamawa state capital has fixed Monday for hearing on former Governor Muhammad Umar Jibrilla's application to join All Progressives Congress(APC)'s suit as a party.
The ex- Governor is seeking to be joined as party to appeal instituted by the opposition All Progressives Congress(APC), challenging the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal which upheld the election of the incumbent Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
If Bindow's application finally scales through, he will be the 2nd appellant while APC the 1st appellant, but if it fails, the court will throw away the application and hear the main suit filed by APC only.
Though, it is tomorrow that the Court is going to make pronouncement to that effect, pundits believe that the former Governor is trying to catch in to the appeal in anticipation of favourable judgement which he feels will make him a sole beneficiary.
The erstwhile Governor who was not a party to the petition at the lower court, wants to be joined as a party to APC's appeal so that he can take the benefit of the judgement of the apex court if at all it is in APC's favour.
But one of the senior counsels to the 1st respondent (PDP) said they will appropriately respond to the application, insisting that they will ensure that the application is not granted.
It could be recalled that the ex-Governor shortly after general elections, said he was not going to court but his party insisted on prosecuting the matter on the allegations of rigging which the party lost woefully at the court and decided to appeal the matter.
The appellant (APC) has joined the ruling PDP, Governor Fintiri and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents to the appeal.
But According to the observers, what made the ex- Governor to join his party in the legal battle at this material time was the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
The Tribunal presided by 3- Man Panel led by Justice Adeniran Adebara, had right from the preliminary objection of the 9 hour judgement delivered, held that APC has no locus standi to institute the action, since it is not the party that will occupy Dougirei Government House.
Justice Adebara, said that the party in the first place should not have approached the court on the matter without its Governorship candidate (Muhammad Umar Jibrilla Bindow) who earlier on conceded the defeat in a video tendered before it for not being party to it.
The court went ahead and dismissed the petition of the opposition party for lack for of merits, hence the decision of the party to appeal the case, and the application of Bindow to be joined as a party.
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