Supreme Court Affirms Patrick Dakum as Plateau Labour Party Governorship Candidate

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday upheld the nomination of Patrick Dakum as Labour Party (LP) Governorship candidate for Plateau state.

The Governorship and State House of Assembly elections hold on 18 March.

An aggrieved aspirant for the Labour Party Governorship ticket, Yohanna Margif, had challenged Mr Dakum candidacy.

But a Five- member panel of the Supreme Court led by John Okoro struck out Mr Margif’s appeal on the grounds that the suit was statute- barred following its withdrawal by Margif’s lawyer, Opeyemi Ojo.

Mr Ojo had prayed the panel to invoke Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act to hear and determine the dispute in the interest of justice.

But refusing Mr Ojo’s request, the Panel said the conditions precedent for the Court to invoke Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act were not met.

Itself informed Mr Ojo that both Court of Appeal and Federal High Court to no longer had jurisdiction that can be invoked by the supreme Court since time for the matter to be held had expired.

Pro – elections cases are statutorily required to be heard and determined within 180 days beginning from the time such a suit is filed at the Federal High Court to its terminal point at the Supreme Court.