The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 election has claimed that the Appeal Court’s judgment on the Ebonyi governorship election is predictable. The party’s spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, made this known during an interview with Channels Television on Monday.
Bwala lamented how the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, was sacked on the grounds of improper nomination, despite being duly nominated during the party’s primary. He claimed that if the Court of Appeal followed the same principle for the Ebonyi governorship election, the judgment would be predictable.
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Recall that the Appeal Court, in its judgment on Sunday, sacked the Plateau Governor and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Mutfwang. The court held that the governor’s nomination by the PDP contravenes Section 285(2) of the Nigerian Constitution.
Bwala alleged that Ebonyi State has similar issues in court, claiming that Francis Nwifuru of the ruling party, who won the March 18 election, was not qualified to contest the poll. He argued that if the principles of the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Plateau State are applied, 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 grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022. Odii is arguing that the governor was not qualified to contest the election on the platform of the APC because he was still a member of the PDP at the time of the election.
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The PDP has been on the losing end of recent court judgments, with the party losing its governors in Zamfara and Imo states due to improper nomination. The party has, however, vowed to continue to fight for justice and fairness in the judiciary.
The judgment of the Court of Appeal in the Ebonyi governorship election is eagerly anticipated, as it will determine the fate of the state’s governorship election. The PDP has called on its supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting the judgment of the court.
