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From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
There is apprehension in the Plateau state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the nullification of the election of the Senate Minority Leader, Simon Mwadkon.
A three-member panel of justices of the appellate court, had on Sunday, while nullifying Mwadkon’s victor, who represents Plateau North Senatorial District, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in the senatorial zone within 90 days.
Chris Giwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Gyang Zi of the Labour Party (LP). had dragged Mwadkon and the PDP to the National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal, alleging that PDP had no structure as at the time the party nominated him as their flag bearer in the election.
While the Elections Petitions Tribunal in Jos affirmed Mwadkon as the winner of the senatorial election, the duo of Giwa and Zi escalated it to the appellate court.
The appellants had contended that Mwadkwon was not qualified to stand for an election as his party, the PDP, which nominated him during the election, had no structure to do so, having not complied with an earlier high court order for the party to conduct a proper state congress.
Justice A Williams-Daudu, who read the lead judgment of the appellate court, held that the high court order was not fully complied with by the PDP as 12 LGAs didn’t participate in the said congress.
However the ruling has sent jitters down the spine of PDP leadership and Governor Caleb Mutfwang over the outcome of the appeal equally lodged by the APC and its governorship candidate in the election, Nentawe Yilwatda, following the affirmation of the former’s election by the Governorship election petition tribunal
The three-man tribunal led by Justice Sunday Olorundahunsi, had unanimously affirmed Mutfwang’s election, noting that despite the wild allegations by the petitioners, there is no evidence to show that the election was not lawfully held as the petitioners failed to tender another result to be considered authentic.
But the tribunal ignored the issue of PDP having no structure as canvassed by the petitioners.
The Appeal Court ruling has however come to haunt the defendants as the issue of structure was the peg upon which the the appellate court hinged its decision in annulling Mwadkon’e election.
It was gathered that the appellate ruling is expected in a fortnight, a development that has thrown the ruling party into a quandary.
Efforts to speak with the PDP Chairman, Chris Hassan, were not successful. When our correspondent first called him, his phone was busy, but he refused to pick subsequent calls, The same thing with the Spokesman of the party, John Akans. When our correspondent called Akans, his phone rang out unpicked.
However both the Publicity Secretary of APC, Sylvanus Namang, and the Spokesman of the Nentawe Campaign Organisation, Shittu Bamaiyi, were upbeat about the likely outcome of their appeal against the ruling of the tribunal in Jos.
Namang, who spoke to our correspondent said, “We know that since 2021 when PDP was barred from contesting the local government election because they ha no structure, that everything they are doing are in vain. They stubbornly refused to take advantage of the advice from the court in Jos to them to go and conduct another primary election so as to constitute a proper state executive council. Now we are benefitting from their folly.
Equally Bamaiyi said, “We have been unshaken in our optimism right from when INEC declared PDP as the winner that we will reclaim the mandate. Now the hen is gradually coming to the roost. We are very happy with the signals coming from the Appeal Court. Our optimism has further been boosted.”
