Appeal Court sacks PDPs Mutfwang as Plateau Gov
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, yesterday, nullified the election of Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State.
The court in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, held that Mutfwang was not validly nominated and sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to participate in the gubernatorial election held on March 18.
The court further held that all the votes that were credited to him and the PDP after the election amounted to wasted votes.
The appellate court panel, led by Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, consequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to withdraw the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Mutfwang of the PDP as winner of the governorship poll.
It further ordered that the candidate that got the second majority lawful votes at the election should be sworn in as governor of the state.
The judgment followed an appeal that filed against governor Muftwang’s election by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state, Nentawe Goshwe.
INEC had declared that Mutfwang of the PDP won the gubernatorial contest with a total of 525,299 votes ahead of the APC candidate, Goshwe, who polled 481,370 votes.
