PDP Demands Disbandment of Plateau State’s Election Appeal Court Panel over Varying, Conflicting Judgments

•Seeks review of judgements, petitions NJC

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the President of the Court of Appeal to  immediately disband the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel, accusing the panel of bias and compromise.

The party urged the President of the Court of Appeal to constitute a new Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel to hear the remaining Appeals, alleging that the current panel had shown manifest bias to unduly favour the APC candidates.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the continued retention of the present Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel would be construed by the people of Plateau State as an act of insensitivity and injustice.

The spokesperson alleged that the manifestly biased and inconsistent judgments of the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel already delivered in the Appeals should be subjected to judicial review.

According to the PDP,  “This frightening pattern by the Plateau State Election Tribunal  Court Panel constitutes a clear  present danger to the democratic process, national peace and stability; a bad precedent for judicial mischief and particularly a recipe for anarchy, chaos and breakdown of Law and Order in already tensed Plateau State.”

He explained that, “the people of Plateau State are unsettled by allegations in the public domain that the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel has been hugely compromised and induced by the failed All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State to undermine the Will of the people by snatching elections clearly won by the PDP and awarding same to the APC as now evidenced in its inexplicable varying judgments on same election context and circumstances.”

According to Ologunagba, “What can explain the brazen departure by the Appeal Court Panel from the judicial practice where cases with similar facts and applicable laws, especially before the same court, at the same material time, result in different outcomes?

“Curiously, the Panel in the most concerning pattern reached different conclusions with respect to election appeals with the same subject matter, same facts, same circumstances and same applicable laws in bias judgements clearly skewed against the PDP in favour of the APC.

“As you are aware, from the votes cast in the 2023 general elections, the PDP recorded a sweeping victory over the APC in Plateau State.

“However, apparently in a mission to assist the APC in its plots to rob our Party of victory, the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel gave varying and conflicting judgments in Appeals before it despite the clear similarity in facts, circumstances and applicable laws,” the PDP spokesman stressed.

He added: “What is more disturbing is that in all the Appeal cases, the court ordered a rerun where the PDP won and the APC came third, while where the APC came second, it ordered that the Certificate of Return issued to the victorious PDP candidate be withdrawn and a new Certificate of Return be issued to the APC candidate, who came second in the election.

“Specifically, in the case of Plateau North Senatorial District won by Sen. Simon Mwadkwon of the PDP and the APC candidate coming third, the Panel in its judgment in Court of Appeal No. CA/J/EP/PL/SEN/12/2023 delivered on

Sunday 22nd October, 2023 curiously annulled PDP’s victory and ordered INEC to conduct a rerun election among all the parties,” he stated.

Giving instances, Ologunagba said,  “In the case of Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency won by Hon. Musa Agar of the PDP and where the APC candidate also came third, the Panel in its judgment in Court of Appeal No. CA/J/EP/PL/HR/14/2023 delivered on Friday 27th October, 2023 annulled the victory of the PDP and ordered a rerun excluding the PDP.

“In the third Appeal Case of Shendam/Quaan-Pan/Mikang Federal Constituency, won by Hon. Isaac Kwallu of the PDP with John Dafwan of the APC as runner-up, the Appeal Court Justices in Court of Appeal No.  CA/J/EP/PL/HR/18/2023 annulled the victory of the PDP candidate, declared the APC candidate as outright winner and ordered that the Certificate of Return issued to the victorious PDP candidate be withdrawn and a fresh Certificate of Return issued to the APC candidate,” he explained.

Oligunagba, said the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel judgements had heightened tension in Plateau State and was capable of triggering a serious crisis as the people believed that the Appeal Panel was on a paid mission to take away the mandate which they freely gave to the PDP candidates at the elections and illegally awarding them to the APC.

He said, “These conflicting verdicts by the same Panel of Justices has the consequence to gravely impugn on the integrity of the Appeal Court and the Institution of the Judiciary even as it further appears to lend credence to allegations of inducement by the APC.

“The Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel judgements are not only capable of inflaming passion and likely to set the stage for crisis in Plateau State but also likely to ridicule and bring the Institution of the Judiciary to public opprobrium”, he explained.