The Plateau State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Jos, has affirmed the election of Caleb Mutfwang from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Plateau State.
The tribunal has also dismissed the petition filed by Nentawe Goshwe, a candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Nentawe Goshwe had approached the tribunal challenging the declaration of Caleb Mutfwang as the Governor of Plateau State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
READ MORE: Kano State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal sets judgment date for APC’s suit
Mutfwang was not qualified to contest
He alleged that at the time of the election, Mutfwang was not qualified to contest, as he had not been validly nominated and sponsored by the PDP, claiming that the party had no structure at the time of the election.
However, in a judgment delivered on Friday, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.
The tribunal, led by Justice R Irele-Ifineh, held that the issues raised by the petitioner concerning party structure were pre-election matters, and as such, the petitioners lacked the jurisdiction to challenge them.
Furthermore, the tribunal affirmed that the PDP had indeed held a valid congress on the 25th of September, 2021, in compliance with the order of the Jos High Court delivered by Justice S.P. Gang. Additionally, the tribunal emphasized that the issue of nomination and sponsorship of a candidate is a pre-election matter.
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Kano tribunal declares APC winner, removes Abba Kabir Yusuf from office
Meanwhile, the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Kano State has overturned the declaration of Abba Kabir Yusuf, the state governor elected on the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) platform, and declared Nasir Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 18 election.
The tribunal, consisting of a three-man panel, ordered the withdrawal of the certificate of return previously presented to Governor Yusuf by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and directed that a certificate of return be issued to Gawuna.
One of the key factors leading to this decision was the discovery of a significant number of invalid ballot papers.
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