If men like us cannot get justice from our courts after convincingly defeating men like David Mark, the rule of law is a charade and democracy is under threat."

Those are the exact words of Alhaji Usman Abubakar of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) who contested against Senate President David Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last Benue State Senatorial election.

Abubakar, best known as Young Alhaji, had waged a legal battle against the Senate President at the election tribunal for over a year until recently when the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Mark.

But in a press statement entitled: "Weep not for me, weep for the rule of law, democracy and Nigeria," which he personally signed, the ANPP chieftain described the verdict of the Court of Appeal as a threat to democracy in the country.

"There is no Idoma man or woman who can swear on the Holy Bible, Qur’an or Alekwu (our ancestral deity) that I did not defeat Senator Mark in all the nine local government areas that make up the Benue South senatorial district. There lies my apathy and disillusionment in the judicial process as the last hope of the common man," Young Alhaji stated.

"The unfortunate decision of the Court of Appeal, Jos Division, on July 15, 2008 in my case with the Senate President, Senator David Mark, climaxed my complete apathy and disillusionment in the project called Nigeria.

"The judgement, which I prefer to tag the great murder of justice, ushered in dusk for the rule of law, gloom for democracy and agony for due process.

"For those who may not be conversant with my struggle with Senator David Mark, the night proceeding July 15, 2008 was long in coming. Senator Mark, I regret to say, represents everything that democracy is not. I urge the Senate and Nigerians to watch out as this last vestige of Obasanjo remains a threat to democracy.

"After the first fourth years of Senator Mark’s unproductive tenure in the Senate, there was uproar of protest from our Senatorial District when he was undeservingly given the PDP ticket to contest for the same seat in the 2003 general elections.

"Our people literally dragged me to challenge him under the platform of the ANPP and I defeated him squarely. INEC characteristically reserved the result and announced him the winner. I challenged the reversal but the state political leadership and the then state government strongly persuaded me to allow Senator Mark a second term. I obliged.

"Between 2003 and 2007, Senator Mark came out in his true anti-democratic colours. He championed the General Obasanjo third term agenda in the Senate. He rallied upon for the plot. Billions of tax-payers’ money was expended on this undemocratic project. The Idoma people never forgave him for this undemocratic behaviour.

"It is painful that the journey of litigation terminates at the Court of Appeal whose decision best qualifies as the great murder of justice. I believe even Senator Mark did not expect such a bonus. But characteristic of the man, Mark boasted in Otukpo at a so-called Thanksgiving service that he would deal with those who wanted to pull him down. What arrogance, foolish pride, and a lack of conscience," he stated.

He wondered why "a man with stolen mandate" would be boasting instead of apologising "to our voters and the Nigerian public for forgiveness.

"For the army of bootlickers and sycophants who will start arranging ‘congratulatory visits and message,’ I say, hold your peace, the Lord will settle this matter, not men, not women, not ordinary mortals," Young Alhaji said.

"The opportunity of the electoral process and the review of the 1999 constitution should enable us to reconsider whether election petition cases should not proceed all the way to the Supreme Court.

"Once more, I thank my good people of Zone C for being supportive and heeding my appeal for calm. In spite of my continued persecution at the instance of Senator Mark for an office the election tribunal in Makurdi already exonerated me, I still appeal for calm as I believe in the end God will vindicate our cause.

"Finally, I call on all my supporters, constituents, associates and the good people of Nigeria not to weep for me. Rather, they should weep for the rule of law, democracy and Nigeria," he added.