Yakubu Busari
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Jos has dismissed the petition filed by Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), seeking the disqualification of Barr. Caleb Mutfwang of the Peopless Democratic Party (PDP) as Plateau State Governor-elect.
In the Governorship Election Tribunal Holden at Jos , in petition No,EPT/PL/Gov/2023 between Allied People Movement (APM) and the Plateau Governor-elect, Barr Caleb Mutfwang, the Tribunal dismissed APM petition on grounds that the petitioner abandoned the petition without completion of Form OO8 prehearing session of answer sheets
The petitioner’s petition failed to scale through because the petitioner abandoned its petition without fulfilling the requirement to challenge the votes of Mutfwang and his party.
However, the Tribunal slammed cost on the Independent National Electoral Commission ,INEC, Mutfwang Caleb Manasseh and People Democratic Party (PDP) because they were absent in court when the matter came up for prehearing without any concrete reasons given to the Tribunal.
Our medium gathered that the parties were in court without any reason but they were properly served with the notice of prehearing by APM.
The petition was pending before this honourable Tribunal and upon the service of the petition on all the respondents the 1st ,2nd and 3rd respondents filed their respective replies to the petitioner’s petition, and upon a large perusal of the 1st ,2nd and 3rd respondents failed to appear before Tribunal.
According to Tribunal ,as it is before this honourable Tribunal pleading has closed as the petitioner is ready for the commencement of the prehearing between the parties in this case.
The petitioner Reuben said that the application for the prehearing session and scheduled in line with section 18 ,(1) a,b,c&d of the 1st scheduled to the electoral act 2022.
The three-member panel presided by Justice R. Irele-Ifijeh on Friday dismissed the petition for lack of diligent prosecution and awarded the sum of N1,000,000 fine against the petitioner and in favour of the three respondents.
The Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mutfwang Caleb Manasseh of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in a petition filed by its counsel, Egwuaba Reuben Esq challenging the declaration of Barr. Mutfwang by INEC after the conduct of the 18 March, 2023 Governorship election in Plateau State.
