Jarigbe violated Section 58, Subsection (1) (1) of the Constitution of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as amended in 2017 by taking the Party to Federal High Court, Port Hacourt in Rivers States, on grounds of perceived infraction. Whereas, the above quoted section states thus, “Any member who resorts to court action or litigation on any disputes or on any matter what so ever concerning rights, obligation and duties of any member of the party without first availing himself the remedies provided by the party, must face the consequences of his/her actions.”
Before the first screening that gave him provisional clearance to run for Senate to represent the Northern Senatorial Zone of Cross River State, Hon Jarigbe had agreed to withdraw the matter, because the first panel had wanted to disqualify him on grounds of pending litigation between him and the party.
The Appeal Panel that sat on the 27th of August, 2020 in Calabar, chaired by Hon Chief Omovie Denis with Hon Tony Golu and Mrs Emilia Okonji as Secretary and members, respectively, having discovered that Hon Jarigbe has a pending matter against the party in court, queried why he was given provisional clearance in the first place, and the panel was told that Hon Jarigbe was given such consideration because he pleaded and promised to withdraw the matter in court.
When the Panel probed further to know whether he has fulfilled his promise of withdrawing his suit against the party, the Panel discovered that Rt.Hon Jarigbe has refused to withdraw the case. The Panel made several efforts of inviting him to appear, but he did not appear before the panel. Consequently, the Appeal Panel had no choice than to invoke section 58 (1) (1) of the constitution of the Party which is outright disqualification. The Panel submitted it’s report on the 28th of August 2020, being Friday.
Ephesians 6:1-3 reads, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
Politically, the party you seek to fly it’s flag and the leader of your state party are your parents in politics. Honour them, that your days in politics may be long.
Submission to the establishment that gives you protection and political relevance is not synonymous with belonging to a conquered generation. Afterwards, no one can afford the price of liberty. Jean-Jacquise Rousseau (1762), in expounding his social contract treatise avowed that “…man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains”. Even the Governor’s and presidents are, through the people’s mandate, conquered. That’s why they see themselves as “servants” to the people.
Below is the Appeal Panel’s Report and verdict that disqualified Rt. Hon Jarigbe from contesting in the forthcoming primaries for the Bye-election of Northern Senatorial Zone of Cross River State.
Reported by Eval.
