JUSTICE FOR THE RULE OF LAW IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

22nd September 2023

His Excellency. Barr. Caleb Mutfwang

The Executive Governor Plateau State.

By

Comr. David Mancha

9/13, 23:00] davedeeman007@gmail.com: 

UPDATED: Tribunal affirms Plateau State Governor's election

JUSTICE FOR THE RULE OF LAW IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM:

I have been telling those who think that the judicial system in Nigeria is bent for unjustified favoritism, like in the previous Administration, where Nigerians recorded a high rate of Anarchist's system of Government, who extremely exercised absolute powers over the detriment of the people. As the saying, "absolute power corrupts absolutely. And he who seek for Justice must come with clean hands"✋

It is quite unfortunate for the All Progressive Congress APC on the Plateau, that it is no more business as usual. And so, they are left to learn how to embrace democracy; and not an autocratic system.

More also, the virdict passed by the Supreme Court of Justice, justified the validity of the PDP structure on the Plateau; and the Tribunal rulling and declaration of His Excellency Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, as the substatancial Executive Governor of Plateau State, shows that democracy has come to stay according to the rule of Law and scale of Justice⚖️. 

CONGRATULATIONS!

To the PDP structures in Plateau State and His Excellency Barr. Caleb Manaseh Mutfwang.

DOES PDP IN PLATEAU STATE NEED TO PANIC?

According to the article by Emmanuel Menseh Madaki Esq.

The Peoples Democratic Party in the state need not panic or be distracted by the ruling APC for the following reasons:

* The party is in a good footing and standing in law and conduct and has so far not violated any known law anywhere.

* The party endeavored to comply with the express orders of Hon. Justice S. P. Gang and Hon. Justice I.I. Kunda respectively.

* What the party sought to achieve by the suit that journeyed up to the supreme court had been laid to rest with the compliance with the judgments of the courts below and that has nothing to do with the present candidates that emerged in the just concluded general elections. So, there was no need pursuing the case at the supreme court.

* The suit at the Supreme Court was already academic before its dismissal and existence of the party as at today has no defect whatsoever see CA/J/300/2023 Between Augustine Timkuk vs INEC & Ors decided in 2023.

* The scenario that led to APC losing seats in Zamfara in 2019 is radically different from the PDP Plateau scenario whereas that of Zamfara was purely a pre-election party dispute involving members of the party, there is no dispute between the members of PDP in Plateau State anywhere before the emergence of the candidates of PDP that contested the 2023 general and even after the election.

* Assuming but not conceding that there is a crisis rocking the PDP in the state who has the locus standi in law to raise that issue? Is a pre-election matter or an issue for the tribunal? What is even more interesting is the fact that the supreme recently held in UFOMBA v. INEC & ORS (2017) LPELR-42079(SC) that: “the law is trite that Courts’ jurisdiction is ousted in matters dealing with internal affairs or resolution of a political party regarding nomination or leadership of that political party as in this instant case.” Pp 47, paras A-B

* The APC in Plateau State is simply dancing naked and or nude in an open market by deploying all efforts to invalidate, intimidate, scare and or present a hopeless scenario for the PDP candidates that won the 2023 general elections instead of focusing on the defeat and allow the tribunal to do its job, since the APC candidate vowed to challenge the outcome of the election in court.

 

*CONCLUSION*

There is no law or legal burden placed on the PDP in the state which it is yet to discharge or in violation.

Let the celebration continue as the PDP suffers no defect in law and all the candidates are proper in law.

And according to the article by James Abraham of the Punch news papers

The Plateau State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Friday the 22nd day of September, affirmed His Excellency Barr. Caleb Mutfwang as the duly elected governor of the state.

A three-member panel of the tribunal led by Justice Sunday dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress and it’s Governorship candidate, Nentawe Yiltwatda delivered the judgment on Friday morning.

The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Mutwang of the Peoples Democratic Party the winner of the March 18 governorship election with 525,299 beating 17 other candidates including Yiltwatda who polled 481,370.

Yiltwatda and his party, APC, had approached the tribunal to disqualify Mutfwang and declare him the winner of the election, while claiming to have polled the highest valid votes cast.

The petitioners insisted that Mutwang was not validly nominated by his party to stand for election as his party lacked the structure to do so

The petitioners equally challenged the victory of the PDP governor over an alleged over-voting in the scores recorded for him by INEC

However, delivering the judgment, the tribunal held that Yiltwatda and his party failed to prove their case.

The tribunal held that the PDP conducted a repeat congress in 2021 and therefore, had a solid structure as a party to nominate candidates for elections.

The tribunal equally rejected Yiltwatda and his party’s witnesses that Bimodal voter accreditation system was not used noting that the total number of votes cast was four out of four voters and as such the tribunal found that there was no case over-vThe witness admitted that he was not in PDP but had an agent that gave him information about the PDP primaries that the party did not have structure.

“Witness confirmed under cross examination that he is not a member of PDP, but that whatever happens in the PDP is in public domain.

“The tribunal is of the view that the pdp conducted a repeat Congress in 2021.

“What is admitted needs no further proof. The APC has admitted in its petition that the PDP repeated its congress.

“The APC in its witness cross examination admitted that the PDP complied with the court order and repeated its congress

“No matter how dissatisfied another party feels on the conduct of another party’s primaries, it must keep mum as it is not a member of that party. Such a person(party) therefore, lacks the locus Standi to challenge such a congress or primary election.

“The petitioners presented a witness who admitted she was a polling unit agent, but admitted under cross examination in the case of Jos North that the signature on the polling unit result is not her’s. The evidence is thereby expunged by the tribunal.

“Another witness admitted that BVAS was not used but that the total number of votes cast is four out of four voters. The tribunal has thereby found that there is no over-voting”,the tribunal ruled.

The PUNCH reports that the tribunal had earlier dismissed the petition filed by the NNPP candidate against the election of Mutfwang for lack of merit.

Written by

Comr. David D. Mancha

[9/13, 23:03] davedeeman007@gmail.com: 

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