On Sunday, following the dismissal of Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, members of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress got into a fight with each other.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Elphreda Williams-Dawodu issued a judgment on Sunday ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the certificate of return that had been issued to Mutfwang and issue a new one to Nentawe Goshwe of the APC. The court had previously declared Goshwe to be the legitimate winner of the March 18 governorship election.
Within a span of three days, the Court of Appeal removed Mutfwang as governor, making him the third opposition governor to be removed from office.
The appeals court ruled on Thursday of last week that the election for governor of Zamfara State, which had been won by another member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dauda Lawal, should be overturned because it was inconclusive.
The election of Abba Kabir Yusuf, candidate for governor of Kano State and member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, was declared unlawful by the same court the next day.
Okechukwu Osuoha, the Deputy Legal Adviser for the People’s Democratic Party, has stated that the recent court rulings are not in line with the law. This statement was made in response to the string of defeats that the PDP’s governors and parliamentarians have had in the courts.
However, the Director of Publicity for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bala Ibrahim, retorted that the people who were accusing both the APC and the Presidency of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state were people who did not understand how the legal process worked.
In the election for governor held on March 18, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mutfwang, received 525,299 votes, while the nominee of the APC, Goshwe, received 481,370 votes.
At the tribunal, Goshwe contested Mutfwang’s victory by arguing that the governor had not been legitimately nominated and sponsored by his party. He was successful in this challenge.
In addition to that, he stated that the election did not comply with the Electoral Act in any way.
In spite of the fact that his petition had been denied by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on the grounds that it lacked substance, Goshwe appealed the decision.
The conclusion that had been made by the panel was, however, overturned by Justice Williams-Dawodu in the lead judgment.
Because the PDP did not conduct valid state, local government, and ward congresses as ordered by a High Court of Plateau State and it did not have any structure as of the time of the election, the judge decided that Mutfwang was not validly sponsored by the PDP and that he was not qualified to have competed in the election. In addition, the judge ruled that Mutfwang was not qualified to have competed in the election.
She based her decision on section 177 of the Constitution and maintained that the PDP did not legitimately support the candidate for governor during the election.
She came to the conclusion that the political party had disobeyed a court order that directed it to hold a legitimate congress in each of the state’s 17 Local Government Areas.
Williams-Dawodu stated that there was no proof that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) cooperated with an existing order from the High Court, which instructed it to convene the party congress prior to its sponsorship of the governorship and other candidates. Williams-Dawodu stated that there was no evidence that the PDP complied with the order.
In contrast to the findings of the tribunal, which stated that the appellant lacked the legal standing to question the validity of the respondent, the court decided that the issue of qualification is relevant both before and after an election and ruled that it should be considered in both contexts.
In addition to this, the court said that according to subsection 134 of the Electoral Act, it is the sole right of a political party to sponsor its candidate provided that the party has satisfied all of the procedures necessary to do so.
After that, she gave the directive to INEC to take back the certificate of return that had been given to the governor and to issue a new certificate of return to the Goshwe.
Williams-Dawodu stated that the ruling of the Tribunal that validated Governor Caleb’s election must be overturned. The appeal has been granted in this instance. The dispute has been settled in a manner that is favorable to the appellants.”
PDP kicks it in.
Speaking about the decision, the Deputy PDP Legal Adviser, Osuoha, indicated that the election petition issue was based on three different grounds, despite the fact that he claimed he did not have a copy of the judgment at the time of his comments.
He made the following statement: “One is that when anybody is claiming that he won an election with the largest number of genuine votes, the individual will be required to show it. The second possibility is unethical behavior, in which case the accuser would be responsible for providing evidence.
“Following that, qualification, specifically whether or not the person in question was qualified. So these are the arguments that support it. It is common knowledge that the people of Nigeria and the PDP do not feel particularly at ease with the ruling handed down by the courts.
“Impunity is rife inside the party that is now in power, the APC. They make an effort to exert their influence on a few of these institutions in order to impose their party on the Nigerian people. That is the unattractive aspect of it.
Osuoha emphasized that “Most of the recent judgments are not really in tandem with the law,” which was his main point. The majority of the time, the justices will rely on legal technicalities.
“The court now portrays itself as a court of technicalities and not a court of justice, and this is not too palatable for our system, our country, or our democracy.”
The attorney pointed out that there is still time for the party and Mutfwang to file an appeal against the verdict.
Because the general public has a high regard for the judicial system, it is imperative that people continue to have faith in it.
“The majority of Nigeria’s institutions are weak, which is the primary cause of the country’s current woes. In my opinion, our judicial system and our Supreme Court should be recognized as exceptional. He admonished the judicial system to make decisions without favoring either party.
Additionally, the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, made the accusation that “the highest bidders were getting favorable rulings.”
Osadolor issued a stern warning, saying, “The clock is ticking, and the patience of our people is running thin.” Our judges should honor the heroes of the past or become the heroes of today by recusing themselves from making decisions and declarations that are influenced by money.
We are prepared to put up a fight against those who seek to impose the APC on the Nigerian people.
Misconduct on the judicial bench
Meanwhile, the National Auditor of the New Nigerian People’s Party, Ladipo Johnson, referred to the judgment as “judicial rascality that is unfolding.” He said this in response to the verdict.
Johnson stated in an interview with one of our correspondents that the APC still has a long way to go before it can successfully impose itself on the Nigerian people.
He made the following statement: “The bottom line is that the judiciary have put themselves on trial because of some inconsistent principle that we are seeing.” The most recent decisions handed down by the judicial system are giving a lot of people in our country serious cause for concern.
In response to the question of whether or not this is an intentional attempt to impose the APC on the Nigerian people, he stated that “even if this is not an attempt to impose the APC on the Nigerian people, it will have the effect.” Because the PDP holds power in so many states, it will be difficult for them to impose APC on the Nigerian people. Therefore, it is a significant distance from it.”
According to the statement made by the NNPP National Auditor, “So there is judicial rascality going on.” Yes, I haven’t read the ruling, but based on what I’ve seen of the excerpt, there appears to be some kind of mischief being committed. The judicial system is no longer worthy of our confidence.
However, we are keeping our fingers crossed that the Supreme Court will provide some clarity on these matters and, if you will, follow its own precedent.
The leadership of the Labour Party has stated their fear that the administration of President Bola Tinubu may have been “using the judiciary to hound opposition parties and steal the mandate of the people.”
Yunusa Tanko, the chief spokesman for the LP Campaign Organisation, came to the conclusion that the judgments might have been spurred by some “vicious” persons in the executive arm of government who were using the judiciary as a tool to capture the states in response to the sacking of three opposition governors by the court. These individuals were using the judiciary as a tool to capture the states.
He stated, “As I mentioned previously, the particular group of people who are currently in charge are terrible politicians. To emphasize my point, I will use the word vicious once more.
“Steadily, we are beginning to observe states that have been entirely captured, which means that all of the institutions have already been purchased, intimidated, or blackmailed to do the bidding of the current political party and the government that is currently in power.
“There is absolutely no hanky-panky involved. They have made it abundantly plain what it is that they intend to accomplish, and they are putting our democracy in a position of power.
“It is now up to us to truly challenge these particular people in order to prevent them from taking us to the cleaners totally. And it doesn’t matter to them when, when, or how they do it as long as it works out in their favor. This is where the threat lies.
“Now that the electorates are aware that the mandate might be taken away from them, they are being deterred from going out to vote for politicians of their choosing. They have already taken command of the state’s administrative machinery.
“During the time that the PDP was in control of the government, we experienced something quite similar. These particular people in positions of authority will make reference to the fact that almost everyone was joining the PDP back in those days (under the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo).
The lack of a coherent philosophy was the impetus for the formation of the APC conglomerate. But in this specific instance, it is an altogether different matter. “These powerful people are just way too vicious,” he said.
The charges that the judiciary was influenced by his party were, however, refuted by Ibrahim, who serves as the Director of Publicity for the APC.
He was quoted as saying that “Nobody is turning Nigeria into a one-party state.” These are some of the groundless accusations that are being made by individuals who are unaware of how the system operates. The judiciary maintains its autonomy.
“There is just no possibility that any branch of the administration or the legislative can intimidate the judiciary or force it to behave in a way that is contrary to its own desires. The reasoning of people is not being considered in a reasonable manner.
“There are some regions where the ruling party failed to win, and we have criticized, blasted, or thrown doubt on the legitimacy of the judicial system. We are aware that the judicial system may have their own reasons for making the verdict that is adverse to us.
“This is not to say that people should believe that the executive branch is trying to influence the judicial system every time we win,” the judge said.
“People ought to educate themselves on how to be good sportsmen. In some situations, if you fail today, you might succeed tomorrow. It is important for us to have faith in the system, in ourselves, and in democracy.
“As long as we continue to take only some aspects of the system into consideration when evaluating it, we will never get it right. We ought to make it possible for the judicial system to operate in accordance with the mindset of independence and keep pushing for the system to become more democratic. Let us not pick and choose based on our preconceived notions.”
A hiccup for the time being
In his response to the verdict rendered by the court, Mutfwang characterized the defeat as a momentary setback that will not stop him from repositioning the state on the path toward unity, peace, and advancement.
He had asked his legal team to file an appeal with the Supreme Court, so he was very optimistic that the mandate that had been “overwhelmingly given to him by the people of Plateau State would be restored.”
In a statement released on Sunday, the governor of the state urged residents of the state as well as supporters of the PDP to maintain their composure and gave them the assurance that “as long as God remains on the throne, the mandate of the people will be preserved and protected.”
He reaffirmed his dedication to the rule of law and reassured the people that there is hope for the future because he has unyielding faith in Nigeria’s judicial system and the country’s constitution. He also said that he would not back down from his commitment to the rule of law.
At the end of his speech, Mutfwang made an impassioned plea not just to his followers but also to the inhabitants of the state to uphold the law.
He stated unequivocally that God will be glorified through the triumph of Plateau and reaffirmed his determination to continue to serve the state with the same level of passion and honesty he has always shown.
Simon Lalong, a former governor of Plateau State who is now the Minister of Labour and Employment, has hailed the ruling as an affirmation of the mandate that the people of the state overwhelmingly gave to Nentawe and his running partner, Pam Bot-Mang. Nentawe and Pam Bot-Mang won the election to be governor and running mate, respectively.
The minister said in a statement that was released on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Macham Makut, that the development is a good omen for the state of Plateau ”as the Governor-elect, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, and his running mate will now have the opportunity to implement the Generation Next mantra and the ACEES agenda to take Plateau State to the next level.”
The minister expressed his confidence that Nentawe’s victory will stand the test of time, despite the fact that the defeated candidate of the PDP and the PDP itself had the constitutional right to pursue any and all legal options accessible to them.
Lalong made a plea to the members of the APC and the governor-elect to show magnanimity in the face of triumph. He said that they should “consider this joyous moment as a celebration for the entire people of Plateau State who are yearning for good governance, security, and development.”
In addition, he urged the people of Plateau State to continue to be law-abiding and to reject any attempt to persuade them to engage in any kind of illegal activity that could endanger the state’s peace and security.
Yusf Gagdi, the chairman of the House Committee on Navy, issued a statement on Sunday in which he reacted to the ruling. In the statement, he hailed the occurrence as the beginning of a new era.
According to Gagdi, who is the representative for the Pankshin/ Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency in the state of Plateau, “The triumph of lies over the truth is indeed fleeting.” It is the beginning of a new era in Plateau State with the victory of our Governor-elect, Nentawe Goshwe at the Court of Appeal today (Sunday), where his victory was affirmed as the legally recognized winner of the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial elections in Plateau State, following the nullification of PDP’s pyrrhic victory. With this victory, it is the beginning of a new era in Plateau State.
“We have always indulged our teaming supporters to exercise restraint in their conducts, despite the unwarranted provocation by our political opponents who unleashed all of the weapons of propaganda and emotional blackmail in their arsenals to sway the pendulum of justice and curry public sympathy in their desperation to hold unto power. “We have always indulged our teaming supporters to exercise restraint in their conducts, despite the unwarranted provocation by our political opponents.
“Our faith in the judicial system as the bulwark of justice and the last hope of the common man has always been unwavering, and we continue to hold the same in the highest esteem as we look forward to entering the final phase of the legal fight.
“While I call on all APC supporters to be magnanimous in victory and celebrate this milestone with all sense of modesty, it is my fervent prayer that our joy shall never be cut short by the evil machinations of our adversaries,” he said. “While I call on all APC supporters to be magnanimous in victory and celebrate this milestone with all sense of modesty.”
