A spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 election, Daniel Bwala has claimed that if the Court of Appeal follows its principle for the sack of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, the judgement for Ebonyi governorship election would be predictable.
Bwala, who spoke on Monday while featuring on Channels Television, lamented how the governor was sacked on the grounds of improper nomination, claiming that Governor Caleb was duly nominated during the party’s primary.
Appeal Court in its judgment on Sunday delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Elphreda Williams-Dawodu sacked the Plateau Governor.
The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Mutfwang and issue a fresh one to Nentawe Goshwe of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The court held that the governor’s nomination by the PDP contravenes Section 285(2) of the Nigerian Constitution.
Speaking on the matter, Bwala claimed that Ebonyi State has similar issues in court, alleging that Francis Nwifuru of the ruling party who won the March 18 election, was not qualified to contest the poll.
According to him, “If the Appeal Court has said that PDP scored an own goal in Plateau, it should also be said that APC scored the same own goal in Ebonyi State.”
“If we apply the principles of the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Plateau State, then the judgment of the Appeal Court regarding the case in Ebonyi State should be predictable, except the Appeal Court will want to contradict itself.”
In Ebonyi State, the PDP and its candidate , Ifeanyi Odii are seeking the nullification of the election of Francis Nwifuru on the ground of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
Odii is arguing that the governor was at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election on the platform of the APC because he was still a member of the PDP.
