Disqualify Governor Simon Lalong For Giving False Information -PDP,JT Useni Tells Tribunal
Yakubu Busari
The Plateau State Chapter of the People Democratic Party ,PDP, with the Gubernatorial candidate have urged the tribunal to declared PDP winner under grounds 3 and 4:
Disqualification for giving false information:
The 2nd Petitioner obtained and filled Form CF001 together with an affidavit and other documents to the 1st Respondent in aid of his qualification to contest election to the office of governor of Plateau State.
The 2nd Respondent wilfully provided false information in the said Form CF001 on oath in aid of his qualification.
PARTICULARS
The 2nd Respondent swore to an affidavit at the High Court of Justice of Plateau State, Jos, on October 12, 2018 in which he affirmed his name to be Simon Bako Lalong and further affirmed that he has no former names.
The 2nd Respondent declared under Oath that all the answers, facts and particulars he gave in Form CF001 are true and correct to the best of his knowledge in fulfilment of his requirement for the office of the Governor of Plateau State.
The 2nd Respondent indeed submitted various certificates bearing various names and purporting to be the owner of the various certificates in spite of the different names thereon and deposed to an affidavit of change of name.
The information provided by the 2nd Respondent in CF001 are false in all ramifications.
The 2nd Respondent, in reality, has former names having been known at various times as Sule Simon and Sule Simon L as borne out by 2nd Respondents certificates purportedly from Government Secondary School, Shendam and Ahmadu Bello University respectively and a purported affidavit of change of name deposed to by 2nd Respondent on December 8,1998.
In addition to the above, the 2nd Respondent also published or caused to be published an advertisement for change of name from Simon Lalong Sule to Simon Bako Lalong published in The Nigerian Standard, Wednesday, December 9,1988.
The 2nd Respondent is a person who deserves to be disqualified having deliberately provided false information about himself to the 1st Respondent and indeed to the whole world.
WHEREFORE THE PETITIONERS PRAY JOINTLY AND SEVERALLY AGAINST THE RESPONDENTS AS FOLLOWS:
That it may be determined that the 2nd Respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast in the said election and therefore the declaration and return of the 2nd Respondent by the 1st Respondent as the winner of the election is unlawful, undue, null, void and of no effect.
AN ORDER nullifying the return of the 2nd Respondent as the winner of the Governorship Election held on 9th and 23rd March, 2019.
AN ORDER directing the 1st Respondent to withdraw the certificate of return issued to the 2nd Respondent forthwith.
That it may be determined that the 1st Petitioner was duly and validly elected and ought to be returned as the winner of the Governorship election in Plateau State, having polled the highest number of lawful votes cast at the election held on 9th and 23rd March, 2019, and having satisfied the constitutional requirements for the said election.
AN ORDER directing the 1st Respondent to issue a Certificate of Return to the 1st Petitioner as the duly elected GOVERNOR OF PLATEAU STATE.
OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE:
A DECLARATION that the 2nd Respondent is disqualified from contesting the election for the Office of Governor of Plateau State.
AN ORDER nullifying the election and return of the 2nd Respondent and directing the 1st Respondent to hold a re-run election for office of Governor of Plateau State EXCLUDING the 2nd and 3rd Respondents as a candidate and political party for the re-run election.
FURTHER, AND OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE:
AN ORDER that the election to the office of the Governor of Plateau State held on 9th and 23rd March, 2019, respectively, be nullified in all the Polling Units complained about by the Petitioners, and a fresh election be conducted by the 1st Respondent in the said polling units.
DATED THIS 10TH DAY OF APRIL, 2019.
