The Supreme Court has deferred judgment in the appeal seeking to annul the removal of Caleb Mutfwang as the governor of Plateau State. The Court of Appeal in Abuja had previously ousted Mutfwang from office on November 19.
After the adoption of briefs by the parties involved on Tuesday, the five-member Supreme Court panel, led by Justice John Okoro, stated that the date for delivering judgment would be communicated to the concerned parties.
During the gubernatorial election on March 20, Idris Amali, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer in Plateau, declared Mutfwang as the winner with 525,299 votes, while Nentawe Yilwatda, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 481,370 votes. The results indicated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won in 10 local government areas (LGAs) of Plateau State.
Unsatisfied with the outcome, Yilwatda and the APC filed a petition challenging the election results. However, the tribunal, led by Justice Rita Irele-Ifijeh, ruled that the petitioners lacked the legal standing to challenge the issues raised on party structure as they were pre-election matters. The tribunal also affirmed that the PDP held a valid congress in compliance with the court order.
Displeased with the tribunal’s decision, the APC and its candidate filed an appeal. The appellate court determined that the PDP violated the court order by conducting a congress in only five LGAs, deeming it null and void. The court also ruled in favor of the argument that Mutfwang was not properly sponsored by the PDP.
At the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, Kanu Agabi, the counsel to Mutfwang, urged the court to invalidate the appellate court’s judgment, contending that the issues raised were pre-election matters.
The Supreme Court is expected to deliver its judgment before January 16.
