Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon, has said the tribunal judgments nullifying the election of some National Assembly members from Plateau State is strange, saying the judgments will not stand.
Mwadkwon, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator for Plateau North Senatorial District, stated this in a statement on Friday.
He expressed confidence that the Appellate Court will not allow any judgment in clear contrast to the Supreme Court pronouncements stand.
The Senate Minority Leader called on members and supporters of the PDP in Plateau State to remain calm, in spite of the negative judgments.
“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,” he said.
Senator Mwadkwon said the Supreme Court judgment on the PDP suit on the nomination of President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the February 2023 presidential election, Kashim Shettima, was clear enough as to who has rights to challenge nomination of party candidates.
The Senate Minority Leader said the Supreme Court has made it clear that no political party can challenge the nomination of another political party.
He wondered how and why the tribunal could nullify the election of duly elected National Assembly members on the ground that they were invalidly nominated due to no party structure in the state.
He added: “Even assuming but not conceding that PDP has no structure in Plateau State as at the time the candidates were nominated, is it the state party structure that nominates candidates or the national?
“Was the national body of PDP that is legally empowered to nominate candidates for elections not the one that conducted the primary elections that produced our candidates?
“Or is it the duty of any other organ of a political party to conduct primary elections apart from the national body of the party?
“However, in the case of the PDP in Plateau State, the party duly complied with the judgment of Justice S.P. Gang and held a repeat congress in September 2021.
“This congress was dutifully monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as required by law.
“Consequently, the congress was affirmed by the Federal High Court’s judgment delivered by Justice D. V. Agishi in the case of Augustine Timkuk versus PDP.
“Furthermore, the judgment was unanimously affirmed by the Court of Appeal, Jos in favour of the PDP in a ruling by Justice T. Y. Hassan, Justice I. A. Andenyangtso and Justice O. O. Goodluck, delivered on 11 February, 2023.
“One now wonders where the tribunal got its ground of no party structure on which it nullified the elections of our duly elected National Assembly members.
“This is also considering the fact that one of the two panels of National and State House of Elections Tribunal, headed by Justice Williams Olamide, in its own judgements, dismissed the ground on which the panel, headed by Justice Mohammed Tukur, nullified elections of our party members.
“From whichever way one chooses to look at the judgements, they clearly stand logic and legal precedents on the head and will surely be nullified by the Appeal Court.
“Therefore, our people should remain calm, with assurance that those they willingly elected will serve their terms and deliver their electoral promises.”
