Tribunal judgements sacking Plateau NASS members won’t stand – Senate Minority Leader

Senate Minority Leader Simon Davou Mwadkwon has called the tribunal rulings that nullified the election of some Plateau State National Assembly members as “bizarre” and has vowed that they will not be upheld.

Senator for the Plateau North Senatorial District and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mwadkwon issued a statement on Friday expressing confidence that the Appellate Court would not uphold a ruling that ran counter to Supreme Court decisions.

He urged PDP supporters in Plateau State to maintain composure and warned that “those presently rejoicing inside their house of lies will face the reality of their self deceit when the Appeal Court takes the right decisions on the tribunal judgements.”

According to Senator Mwadkwon, the Supreme Court’s ruling in the PDP’s petition challenging President Bola Tinubu’s selection of Kashim Shettima as his running mate in the presidential election scheduled for February 2023 provided sufficient clarity on the issue of who has the right to dispute the nomination of political party candidates.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court had already ruled that no political party could challenge the nomination of another political party, leaving him to wonder how and why the tribunal could invalidate the election of duly elected National Assembly members on the ground that they were invalidly nominated due to there being no party structure in the state.

Even if, but without agreeing, there was no PDP structure in Plateau State when the candidates were nominated, the Senate Minority Leader said, “is it the State party structure that nominates candidates or the National?”

Is it possible that the primary elections that resulted in our candidates weren’t held by the national organisation of PDP that has the legal authority to propose candidates for elections? Or, are primary elections for a political party the responsibility of any other entity outside the national organisation?

The PDP in Plateau State, however, held another congress in accordance with Justice S.P. Gang’s ruling that it must. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did its job and carefully watched this congress.

Justice D. V. Agishi’s ruling in Augustine Timkuk v. PDP at the Federal High Court upheld the legitimacy of the congress. In addition, on 11 February 2023, the Court of Appeal, Jos issued a ruling affirming the lower court’s decision in favour of the PDP, with Justice T. Y. Hassan, Justice I. A. Andenyangtso, and Justice O. O. Goodluck participating.

When the tribunal invalidated the elections of our lawfully elected representatives to the National Assembly, it cited a lack of a party organisation as the reason.

Consider also that in its own findings, one of the two panels of the National and State House of Elections Tribunal presided over by Justice Williams Olamide rejected the basis on which the other panel presided over by Justice Mohammed Tukur annulled elections of members of our party.

No matter how you slice it, the decisions are absurd both in terms of logic and established case law, and the Appeal Court will undoubtedly overturn them.

“Therefore, our people should remain calm, with assurance that those they willingly elected will serve their terms and deliver electoral promises.”