ANOTHER major political upset is brewing in Plateau State as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the National Judiciary Council (NJC) to reclaim the mandates of the 16 state and eight federal lawmakers sacked by the Court of Appeal, even as the party has concluded arrangements to petition the Justice Walter Onnoghen Committee.
This is just as a former governor of the state, Jonah Jang, assured the people of the state that justice will be done in the cases of national and state assemblies’ lawmakers that were stopped from representing their constituencies by the Appeal Court.
Recall that the National and State Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court sacked the state and federal lawmakers on the premise that they were not validly nominated to stand for election and a lack of political structure.
It will also be recalled that the Appeal Court also invalidated the nomination of Governor Caleb Muftwang as the PDP candidate, in a case brought before it by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr Nentawe Yiltwada, before the ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court last Friday.
In its ruling on Friday, Justice Emmanuel Agim declared that the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to determine the validity of the candidacy of the PDP, adding that “we have held in a plethora of cases that the sponsorship of a candidate for election is an internal affair of a political party.”
Speaking with the Sunday Tribune on the judgment of the Supreme Court and the fate of the sacked lawmakers, the Plateau State chairman of the PDP, Chris Hassan, noted that the grounds of the petition against all candidates of the party were similar, declaring that the position of the apex court had proved that justice was not done at the appellate court.
Hassan stated that based on the Supreme Court judgment, the party is meeting with its legal team this week to explore the possibility of restoring the lawmakers’ mandate based on the judgment of the Supreme Court.
“We are happy with the position of the Supreme Court on this matter. We want other petitions that were quashed at the Appeal Court to be reviewed because the grounds of the matters are the same.
“On the fate of our state and federal lawmakers, we are meeting with our legal team this week because the apex court has set the record straight. Already, we have petitioned the National Judiciary Council (NJC) and have since received acknowledgement of our petition. The party is equally going to petition the Justice Walter Onnoghen Committee,” he said.
He thanked the justices of the Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law by affirming the belief that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man.
Jang, a former governor of the state, said that the damage already done to the state by the ruling of the Court of Appeal is in great proportion because the judgment robbed the people of their rightful representation both at the state and the national assemblies.
“With the Supreme Court judgment, it has become an abnormality for them to remain as legislators when they could not win elections at the polls. This should not be allowed to stand. The authorities must give back to the people their true representatives and restore their mandate,” he said.
In his reaction to the development, former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkwon, who was one of the victims of the Appeal Court judgment, declared that there is a need for a constitutional review to allow all election petitions to be terminated at the Supreme Court.
