Court Declares Dr  Dakum Authentic Governorship Candidate For Labour Party In Plateau

Yakubu Busari

The Jos Division of the Federal High Court has held that Dr. Patrick Dakum is the authentic flag bearer of the Labour Party (LP) having fulfilled all the necessary conditions of the electoral act of 2022 amended pursuant to party guidelines, the Court has said.

Ambassador Yohana Margif’s has approached the Federal High Court sitting I os Division seeking the court order to declare him as the legitimate candidate of the Labour party.

Justice Dorcas Agishi while delivering Judgment in a suit  FHC/J/CS/76/, filed by Ambassador Yohanna Margif Yilpwan against Labour Party, and two others challenging the candidature of Dr. Patrick Dakum as the authentic governorship Candidate of the party in plateau state ahead 2023 General Election.

The court, therefore, struck out the suit for lack of jurisdiction to entertain the case on grounds that Amb. Yohanna M.D Margif was expelled from his ward as a member of the party and he has written his withdrawal letter to the party leading to the cancellation of the party primary conducted on the 5th October 2022 and the party rescheduled for a fresh congress on the 6th  October 2022 which he didn’t participate.

Agishi declared Dr. Patrick Dakum as the legitimate Labour Party (LP) Gubernatorial candidate in Plateau State  for the 2023 General Elections after fulfilling the party guidelines supervised by INEC.

Hon Justice Agishi affirmed that Hon Margrif withdrew his candidature by virtue of the documents tendered by Dr. Dakum as exhibits and he lacks locus standing to play a double sword game.

As the court ruled that, the Plaintiff Ambassador Yohanna lack the loco standi to challenge the 2nd Respondent Patrick Dakum in the matter because he is not a member of the Labour party which produced Patrick Dakum.

Justice Agishi further ruled that the electoral law of 2010 has been put to rest by throwing more light in the gray areas which said any candidate that didn’t take part in an election lacked the locus standi to challenge what transpired in that very exercise, otherwise lack the moral right to question the abnormalities that most had played out during the exercise.

Justice Agishi further said that the exhibit before the honourable court has not only proved, but clear evidence that the plaintiff  Margif resigned on his own accord and so he didn’t take part in the primary conducted under the watchful eyes of INEC which legalized the entire process.

She went further to state that even at the time under review, the plaintiff has been expelled from the party, largely because his actions have continually dragged the name of the party where he was allegedly involved in criminal activities that are linked to him.