Governor Of Plateau State Mutfwang Is Sacked By Court

Governor Caleb Mutfwang

Appeal court dismisses Plateau Governor Mutfwang and directs INEC to provide Nentawe Goshwe of the APC with a Certificate of Return

Caleb Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau State, was fired on Sunday, November 19, by the Appeal Court in Abuja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was directed by the court, presided over by Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, to grant a Certificate of Return to Nentawe Goshwe, the All Progressive Congress candidate.

Remember that Nentawe's petition contesting Mutwang's declaration as the state's legitimately elected governor had previously been denied by the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which was convened in Jos.

However the appellate court decided on Sunday that the tribunal erred in declaring that the appellants had no grounds to challenge the way the election was conducted.

The court claims that Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Section 134 (C) of the Electoral Act were violated by the tribunal's decision to dismiss the petition filed by the APC and its candidate on the grounds that they had no business interfering with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform Mutfwang was elected.

The court further found that, in contrast to the tribunal's ruling that the problems raised in the appellants' petition were pre-election affairs, they were actually post-election matters as well and could not have been considered status barred.

The panel stated that Mutfwang was not legitimately supported by the PDP during the election, citing section 177 of the Constitution.

It concluded that by holding the congress in just five of the state's 17 local government areas, the party had violated the court order requiring that a legitimate congress be held in all 17 local government areas, and as a result, the congress is void.

The court further pointed out that a political party's exclusive right to support a candidate after fulfilling the prerequisites is stipulated in section 134 of the Electoral Act.

The court directed INEC to obtain the certificate of return given to Governor Mutfwang and provide a new certificate of return to the Goshwe, invoking section 136 of the Electoral Act.