Plateau Appeal Court Verdict: Atiku’s Aide Reacts to Governor Caleb Mutfwang's Sack
- PDP chieftain, Daniel Bwala has reacted to the court judgment that led to the sack of Caleb Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau state
- In a recent interview, Bwala questioned the validity of nullifying an election based on disobedience to a court order related to party congresses
- Bwala stated that election petitions should be treated on its own merits, noting it has procedures that cannot be related to other procedures in court
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
FCT, Abuja - The Plateau state gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023, initially affirmed by the tribunal, took a new turn when the appeal court invalidated Governor Caleb Mutfwang's victory.
Source: Twitter
PDP chieftain slams appeal court judges over Mutfwang's sack
The court verdict nullified the election of Mutfwang based on an alleged violation of a court order related to the conduct of a valid congress.
The court held that Mutfwang was not validly sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as provided by Section 285(2) of the Nigerian constitution.
Reacting, Caleb Mutfwang has described the verdict of the appeal court that nullified his election as a temporary setback, noting the "mandate overwhelmingly given to him" by the people of Plateau state would be restored.
Speaking on the development, Daniel Bwala, the spokesperson to the defunct Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, challenges the legal foundation of the appellate court's decision sacking Mutfwang.
Speaking on Channels TV Politics Today programme aired on Monday, November 20, Bwala argues that disobedience to a court order on party congresses should not lead to the nullification of an election.
"The election petition procedures provides the ground for which you can challenge the victory of someone. If you look at the grounds in section 134, disobedience to court order was not there. Now, the court can say disobedience to court order was a consequence of not conducting the primary,” he said.
“Even if they don’t conduct the primary, it is pre-election but it is more of the disobedience of the court order," he added”
Watch Bwala's full interview below
Femi Falana reacts to appeal court judgements sacking Kano, Plateau govs
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Femi Falana called for a review of the appeal court judgment sacking the Kano and Plateau state governors.
In an interview with Channels TV, Falana noted that the court's verdict should be reviewed because INEC failed in its duty to conduct proper elections in the country.
Court of appeal sacks 3 PDP lawmakers in Plateau
Meanwhile, the court of appeal also sacked three federal lawmakers from the PDP.
The appellate court in Abuja sacked three state house of assembly lawmakers in Plateau state.
These lawmakers are Happiness Akawu (Pengana), Ibrahim Agbalak (Rukuba) and Nanbol Rimvyat (Langtang North Central).
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Source: Legit.ng
