Landmark Decision: Supreme Court Pronounces Caleb Mutfwang Victorious in Plateau Governorship Fray
The Supreme Court has delivered a resounding judgment in the protracted Plateau state gubernatorial election.
Caleb Mutfwang was unanimously affirmed as the legitimate governor.
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On Friday, January 12, the Supreme Court firmly cements Mutfwang as the governor of Plateau state.
Nigeria’s apex court’s ruling is in line with the affirmed Independent National Electoral Commission’s Declaration of Mutfwang as the governor of Plateau State.
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Governor Caleb Mutfwan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), amassed 525,299 votes in the March 18 governorship poll, while Nentawe Yilwatda of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 481,370 votes.
Initially validated by the Plateau State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Jos, Mutfwang’s victory encountered a volte-face at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, prompting his recourse to the judicial apex, the Supreme Court.
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In delivering the definitive pronouncement, the Supreme Court underscored a nuanced perspective, asserting that the validity of nomination and sponsorship per se does not constitute adequate grounds to annul an election.
Justice Agim, the maestro presiding over the legal symphony, articulated, “We have consistently held in a plethora of cases that a political party’s sponsorship of a candidate is an internal matter. The Court of Appeal’s jurisdiction is bereft when it comes to adjudicating on the validity of the PDP’s candidacy.
Furthermore, the court emphatically proclaimed that Mr Yilwatda of the APC had no locus standi to contest Governor Mutfwang’s ascent as the PDP’s standard-bearer.
This judicial edict stands as a watershed moment in Plateau state’s political tapestry, definitively laying to rest the acrimonious controversy swirling around the gubernatorial election. The Supreme Court’s decree not only underscores the sacrosanct nature of the democratic process but also serves as a resounding ratification of the mandate conferred by the March 18 polls.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal challenging the electoral triumph of Francis Nwifuru in Ebonyi state. The court’s collective voice resounded in affirming the appeal’s lack of merit, accentuating the failure to substantiate allegations of non-qualification and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
Source: TVC News and Premium Times,
