PLATEAU State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has affirmed the election of Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the state governor.
In its judgement, the court struck out the petition filed by Nentawe Goshwe Yiltwada of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yiltwada has filed a complaint with the tribunal contesting Mutfwang’s election. He argued that Mutfwang was ineligible to run for office because the PDP had no structure at the time of the election and could not legally nominate and sponsor him.
Besides, the petitioner requested that the court count the ballots from the 14 polling units that INEC disqualified.
However, in its judgement on Friday, September 22, the Tribunal dismissed the petition as lacking merit.
Delivering the judgement, the tribunal led by Justice. R. Irele-Ifineh maintained that the petitioners lacked the authority to contest the party structure because the concerns highlighted by the petitioner were pre-election considerations.
The tribunal further ruled that PDP did a second congress on September 25, 2021, in accordance with the ruling of Justice S.P. Gang of the Jos High Court.
The tribunal also held that the APC failed to establish its allegations of electoral abnormalities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mutfwang the poll winner after polling 525,299 votes to beat APC candidate Yiltwatda, who polled 481,370 votes.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, September 21, the Plateau State National and State Houses of Assembly Elections Petitions sacked three lawmakers of the PDP in the state.
In Langtang North Central, the election tribunal sacked Remvyat Nanbol of the PDP and declared Nanbol Listick of the Labour Party (LP) elected lawmaker.
The tribunal also nullified the election of Ibrahim Abalak Adukuchill in the Rukuba/Irigwe constituency and ruled that Bako Ankala of the APC won the election.
In the Pengana constituency, the tribunal also nullified the election of Happiness Akawu on the grounds of improper nomination by her party.
It declared a former Speaker, Yakubu Sanda of the APC, the winner.
In its judgement read by Muhammad Tukur, the panel ruled that the PDP did not legally sponsor the sacked lawmakers because it refused to obey court orders to conduct ward congresses that would enable it to have a valid structure.
A reporter with the ICIR
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