The Supreme Court has reserved judgment on an appeal seeking to overturn Caleb Mutfwang’s removal as governor of Plateau State.
Mutfwang was removed as governor of Plateau state by the Abuja Court of Appeal on November 19.
After the parties adopted their respective submissions on Tuesday, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by John Okoro, stated that the date for judgment would be communicated to the parties.
On March 20, Idris Amali, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer in Plateau, declared Mutfwang the victor of the election with 525,299 votes, while Nentawe Yilwatda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, received 481,370 votes.
According to the results, the PDP won in ten LGAs: Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Langtang north, Langtang south, Riyom, Mikang, Mangu, Jos East, Qua’an Pan, and Pokkos.
Yilwatda and his party filed a petition to challenge the election results because they were dissatisfied with the outcome.
The tribunal, led by Rita Irele-Ifijeh, delivered a verdict, ruling that the petitioners’ complaints with party structure were pre-election matters, adding that Yilwatda and the APC lacked the locus standi to dispute it.
The panel further determined that the PDP held a repeat congress on September 25, 2021, in accordance with a Jos high court ruling issued by the judge, S.P. Gang.
The APC and its candidate filed an appeal against the tribunal’s decision, citing grievances.
The appellate court panel ruled that the PDP breached the court’s injunction to hold a lawful congress in Plateau’s 17 local government areas.
According to the court, the party held congress in only five LGAs in the state, “which amounted to a nullity.”.
While dismissing the tribunal’s decision, the court of appeals concluded that the problem of qualification is both a pre-election and a post-election matter, contradicting the panel’s conclusion that the appellant lacked the locus standi to challenge the respondent’s validity.
The court also determined that Mutfwang was not officially sponsored by the PDP.
Kanu Agabi, Mutfwang’s counsel, asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to overturn the appeal court’s decision since the issues raised in the petition were pre-election problems.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to issue its decision before January 16.
