Appeal Court Sack Senate Majority Leader, Orders Re-run

By James Moses, 9News Nigeria

The Court Appeal in Abuja, on Sunday, October 22, nullified the victory of the February 25 Senatorial District.

A three-member appeal panel ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to, within 90 days, conduct a fresh election in the senatorial district.

The Court gave verdict while ruling on the appeal filed by Mr Chris Giwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr Gyang Zi of the Labour Party (LP).

Giwa and Zi had appeal against the judgement of the Elections Petitions Tribunal in Jos, Plateau state which, affirmed Nwadkwon of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the Senatorial poll.

The appellants had contented that Mwandkwon was not qualified to stand for an election as his party, the PDP, which nominated him during the election, had no structure to do so, having not complied with an earlier High Court order for the party to conduct a proper state Congress.

Justice Dauda, who read the judgement of the appellate Court held that the High Court order was not fully complied with by the PDP as 12 LGAs didn’t participate in the said Congress.

“The Court made total findings with regard to the issue in focus.

“To avoid anarchy, I agree with the appellants that the Court must protect an order of another Court.

“I agree with the appellant that the third respondent had no valid structure and could not have validly nominated the second respondent (Nwadkwon) for the election.

“Given the findings of this Court, the appeal, therefore, succeeds as the Court order was not complied with.

“The first respondent is hereby ordered to conduct another election in Plateau North within 90 days”, the Judge ruled.