I Will Appeal My Plateau Governorship For The Sake Of Democracy – Jeremiah Useni

Posted by: Folamidavid in News, Politics Nov 30, 2019

Lt-Gen. Jeremiah Useni, the Governorship Candidate of PDP in Plateau in the 2019 elections has told his lawyers to head to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment of the Court of Appeal which affirmed the victory of Gov. Simon Lalong.

He disclosed this during a review meeting with his legal team shortly after the appellate gave its judgment on his appeal against the decision of the Plateau Governorship Election Tribunal.

According to him, some issues in the judgment have to be taken care of for the sake of justice, democracy and the future of Nigeria’s children.

His words, “Our cause is the right cause. We should not make the law look as if it is not important. Let the Supreme Court declare whether lying on oath is not against the law.

“The judgment of the appellate court is a surprise to me and members of PDP, especially having dismissed the two cross appeals of the cross appellants as lacking in merit and an abuse of court process.

“We are also surprised that the judgment, delivered by Hon Justice O.A Otisi completely avoided making any pronouncement on an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court which reversed the decision of the Court of Appeal expunging the testimony of 21 of his witnesses.”

We wait to see how this will pan out.

Jeremiah Timbut Useni (born February 16, 1943) was a Lt. General in the Nigerian Army and Minister responsible for the administration of the Abuja Federal Capital Territory under the Sani Abacha military junta. He came from Plateau State. He served Nigeria in various capacities such as Minister for Transport and Quarter-Master General of the Nigeria Army. Useni also served as Deputy Chairman of one of the significant parties in Nigeria, the All Nigeria Peoples Party. He was elected Senator for the Plateau South constituency of Plateau State, Nigeria in the March 2015 national elections. Useni was running on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

Useni came to national limelight in Nigeria when he was appointed Military Governor of Nigeria’s defunct Bendel State in January 1984. In 1998 Useni, then minister for the capital territory of Abuja, was rumored as a successor to General Sani Abacha. Useni states that the decision to appoint Abdulsalami Abubakar instead was based on protocol. Ten years later, Useni insisted Abacha died a natural death, contrary to rumors that he died after eating a poisoned apple.

In October 2018, Jeremiah Useni won the party primaries in the PDP to run for Office Of The Governor Of Plateau state under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party.