Appeal Court Verdict: David Mark Insists Benue State Government Is Behind His Ordeal

Following the cancellation of his electoral victory by the Appeal Court sitting in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, former Senate President, David Mark has insisted that the Benue state government has a hand in his ordeal.

Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom

The Benue state government had yesterday, November 28, debunked insinuations that it interfered in the judgement of the Appeal Court.

The special adviser to the Benue state government on media, Mr Terver Akase had told Naij.com that the government was not responsible for the current woes of the former senate president.

But in an apparent rebuttal of the government’s claims, Mark has through his media assistant, Paul Mumeh, claimed that the government’s hurried denial in the media proves that they played a major role in his ordeal.

In a press statement sent to Naij.com, Mark said: ”We found it curious that the state governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, can come up with a frantic denial of playing any role in the judicial decision as if he sat on the panel.

”It is even more strange that Ortom, through his media adviser, Terve Akase, said his boss neither interfered nor influenced the judgement whereas nobody had accused or mentioned the governor’s name in any blame sharing.

”It is trite saying in African tradition that if an owl cried in the night and a child dies the following morning, we do not need to ask who killed the child.

”Would it be wrong to conclude therefore that Ortom, through his media adviser, has personally or vicariously, taken responsibility for the panel decision to rule against Senator Mark?,” Mark queried.

The former Senate president however reiterated his believe in the independence of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man but pointed out that the government’s quick denial of any role in the judgement, even when he had not been accused, is ”a subtle narrative of the role the state government played in this bizzare decision of the Appeal panel.”

”If for whatever reason, the justices of Appeal Tribunal found merit in awarding victory to a man who neither participated nor contested the election in the real sense of the word, we hail their ingenuity.

”For us, it is more revealing that the Appeal panel did not question or disapproved the results of the election but found comfort in conflict in dates signed by the INEC returning officer for no fault of Sen. Mark as if that was more relevant than the votes that count and were counted, ” part of the statement read.

Meanwhile, Mark has urged his constituents to remain calm and be law abiding, even as he boasted that “if we go back to the polls 100 times, I will still win convincingly”.

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