"Where Is the Justice?" APC Chieftain Reacts to Supreme Court Judgements on Kano, Plateau Gov Polls
- Comrade Dakom William Danjuma, a member of the APC in Plateau state, criticised the Supreme Court's decisions on the Kano and Plateau state governorship elections
- Danjuma argued that the apex court's verdict on Kano may encourage individuals to print their own ballot papers and cast invalid votes
- On Plateau state, Danjuma said the court's decision implies anyone can form a political party without adhering to regulations and participate in elections without hindrances
Legit.ng journalist Nurudeen Lawal has 8 years of experience covering political campaigns and elections
Jos, Plateau state - Comrade Dakom William Danjuma, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau state, has condemned the Supreme Court judgements on the Kano and Plateau state governorship elections.
Danjuma reacted to the verdicts in an exclusive chat with Legit.ng.
Source: Facebook
Supreme Court reverses Abba Yusuf's sack
The Supreme Court recently affirmed the election of Kano state governor Abba Yusuf, whose victory at the March 2023 poll was earlier overturned by the two lower courts.
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A panel of Justices of the Supreme Court led by Inyang Okoro unanimously set aside the concurrent decisions of the two lower courts, which had sacked the governor from office over alleged irregularities during the March 2023 disputed election.
The Supreme Court’s decision included setting aside the Court of Appeal’s declaration of Nasiru Gawuna of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the disputed March 2023 governorship election in the state.
The lower courts had sacked Yusuf after cancelling over 160,000 votes polled by the governor based on alleged non-signing of ballot papers.
The apex court faulted the deduction of governor Yusuf’s votes.
Supreme Court affirms Plateau gov election
In a similar development, the Supreme Court also recently upheld the election of Plateau state governor, Caleb Mutfwang.
The Court of Appeal had overturned the tribunal's verdict which was in favour of Mutfwang, and declared APC's Nentawe Goshwe the winner of the election.
The appeal court ruled that the failure of the PDP to comply with the order of the Plateau state high court in Jos directing it to conduct valid ward, local governments, and state congresses before nominating its candidates for the various elective posts was a breach of the law.
The court, for the same reason, sacked many lawmakers elected on the PDP platform in the state.
However, the apex court overturned the appeal court's judgement, holding that the APC and its candidate are not members of the PDP and cannot challenge the primary election of the PDP.
Where is the justice? Danjuma reacts
Reacting, Danjuma said the apex court's verdict on the Kano guber implies that anyone can print their own ballot paper, thumbprint it and sneak it into the ballot box at the polling unit and it will be counted.
"Where is the justice? If you can print your own ballot paper from your house and sneak it into the polling unit and ballot box, then it shall be counted as a valid vote cast," the AOC chieftain said.
On the Plateau guber, Danjuma said the Supreme Court judgement implied that anyone could form a political party without complying with the regulations and participate fully in the electons.
His words:
"If you can form a political party in the comfort of your sitting room even without the Consent of INEC, you can participate in any general election without hindrances.
"You can also impersonate any political party without properly undergoing the laid down rules and regulations guiding the membership of such a party, the Supreme Court will surely defend you at the end.
"Any court ruling other than the Supreme Court is null and void, even if there are established facts beyond reasonable doubt."
Kano, Plateau judgements: APC struck deal with opposition?
Meanwhile, the ruling APC has said there was no trade-off between the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the Supreme Court judgement which reversed the sack of governors Yusuf (Kano) and Mutfwang (Plateau).
Nze Chidi Duru, APC's deputy national organising secretary, said Yusuf and Mutfwang's electoral victories were fairly affirmed by the Supreme Court, adding that there was no interference from President Bola Tinubu.
He stated that Tinubu, although a key member of the APC, has maintained a non-partisan disposition and is a father of all.
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Source: Legit.ng
Esther Odili (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Esther Odili is a journalist and a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng with 6+ years of experience. Before joining Legit.ng, Esther has worked with other reputable media houses, such as the New Telegraph newspaper and Galaxy Television. She Holds OND and HND in Mass Communication from NIJ, where she was recognized as the best student in print journalism in 2018. Email: esther.odili@corp.legit.ng.
Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.
