Plateau LG Election Tribunal Dismisses PDP, Laven Petition For Lack Of Evidence

Yakubu Busari

The Local Government Election Trial Tribunal sitting over Langtang North Local Government Council has upheld the victory of Hon Kparnim Nanloh Amos of the All Progressive Congress , at the 2018 poll.

Hon Ubandoma Joshua Laven has challenged the victory of Hon kparnim Nanloh Amos on grounds that the election was inconclusive and marred by irregularities in 110 polling units out of 114 polling units out of the 18 wards.

The Tribunal judgement upheld that the petitioners have failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt base on the fact available to the Tribunal.

According to the Tribunal the witnesses statements which they testified couldn’t tally with the facts.

Justice Jovita Binjin, Chairman of the Tribunal, in a six-hour  judgment, dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.

“Election matters at tribunals are determined by documentary evidences. But in this case, the petitioner only provided documents for only 26 polling units out of the 110 Polling units leaving out 84, which are huge.

“Those documents are not enough to support the petitioner’s claimed that he pulled the majority votes to be declared the winner of the Oct. 10, 2018 LG polls.

“More over the petitioner did not demand for discrediting of the entire elections having failed to meet section 196 of the electoral Act 2014, which says elections must duly follow the law, but he only asked that he should be declared winner having pulled the lawful majority votes cast.

“The petitioners, therefore, having failed to prove his claims in the petition filed on Oct. 31, 2018, we hereby hold that the petition lack merit and it is therefore dismissed, ’’  Binjin declared.

Shortly after the judgement, Joshua-Laven told newsmen that he wasn’t satisfied with the judgment of the tribunal and would appeal against it.

“I want to assured here today that I will definitely appeal the against it at the appellate court, ’’ he declared.

Also speaking, Nanloh-Amos, described the judgement as “very apt’’ and “sound’’

According to him, “I will never lose sleep over the threat of the PDP candidate to appeal against the judgement. This because I sure he will lose again and again.’’