"Why We Sacked Governor, 16 PDP Lawmakers in Plateau," Court of Appeal Judge Speaks
- Court of Appeal judge Justice Abdulaziz Waziri had said the PDP lawmakers in Plateau were sacked because the party did not have a structure when the candidates were nominated
- Justice Waziri said candidate nominations were both pre-election and post-election matters, depending on their nature
- The Court of Appeal also sacked Governor Caleb Mutfwang, three senators, and house of reps members for the same reason
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Yola, Adamawa - Justice Abdulaziz Waziri of the Court of Appeal has explained the judgment of the court that sacked Governor Caleb Mutfwang and national and state assembly members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau state.
The judge, who spoke at the 2023 Law Week in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, on Tuesday, December 12, said those who are criticising the court verdict are not getting the point, The Nation reported.
Source: Twitter
He maintained that the PDP did not have a party structure as of the time of presenting their candidates.
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The judge also said he was a member of the panel that decided the case. He said the case against the PDP in Plateau state was not a pre-election matter.
He urged the bar and the bench to always stand on the side of the law.
Why Plateau governor, senators, House of Reps members, and others from the PDP were sacked
The Plateau state governorship election petition tribunal earlier upheld election of Mutfwang.
But he was sacked by the Court of Appeal on the ground that the PDP did not have structure as of the time the party nominated him.
The case was the same with the three senators, and House of Representatives members elected on the platform of the PDP in Plateau state.
The 16 lawmakers in the Plateau state house of assembly were also sacked for the same reason.
Justice Waziri explains why PDP lawmakers were sacked
Justice Waziri said:
“Some people may say it was a pre-election, agreed. On qualification issues, elections can be pre- and post-election matters depending on what you may understand as qualification. The issue in Plateau State is not a pre-election matter per se.
“There was a subsisting court order given by the Plateau State High Court that PDP should go and have their congresses on that day. They flouted the order of that court, they appealed to the Court of Appeal, they could repeal the decision of the lower court, they filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, they failed to pursue the appeal and the Supreme Court dismissed that appeal.
“So, the matter as it stood at that time is that they had no structures on the ground. So, any candidate they have fielded would have no place to stand in the eyes of the law, so that is what happened.”
"APC’s 'grab and run' agenda of opposition parties'": Atiku alleges
Legit.ng earlier reported that the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, condemned the judgment of the Court of Appeal that sacked some opposition governors.
In a statement, Atiku accused the ruling APC of clipping the wing of the opposition and endangering democracy in the country.
According to Atiku, if the APC did not win through rigging, the ruling party used the court to take over states controlled by the opposition members.
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Source: Legit.ng
