Displeased with the outcome of tribunal verdicts after the 2023 polls, Citizens United for Democracy in Nigeria (CUDIN), has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC), to review some of the judgements delivered by judges.
CUDIN National Coordinator, Felix Ngutswen, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, claimed that the judgement delivered by Justice M.B Tukur, in which the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had no legal structure in Plateau State had been settled at the Supreme Court.
The National Assembly Elections Tribunals had sacked Senator Napoleon Bali of PDP and declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Simon Lalong as the duly elected Senator.
Ngutswen claimed that PDP conducted its primary elections in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, which the delegates system was duly followed.
“We call upon the National Judicial Council and other anti-graft agencies to take immediate action and investigate these judgments thoroughly.
“The integrity of the judiciary must be safeguarded, and all those involved in selling judgments, whether lawyers, or political actors, must face severe consequences for subverting the democratic process.
“The People’s Democratic Party conducted its primary elections in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, which the delegates system was duly followed.
“The inconsequential issue of qualification that the judge Hon. Justice M.B Tukur is leveraging has been settled up to the Supreme Court.
“Where did he get the audacity from to subvert the will of Plateau people on the ground of a settled court case since 2021?
“It is rather unfortunate that even the PDP complied with the Hon Justice Samson Gang and Justice Ishaku Kunda judgments and re-conducted fresh Congresses in September 2021, the judges turned blind eyes to this fact and hacked our elected members and a Senator with a sentimental judgment.
“Besides, in Augustine Timkuk vs Joseph Langyi early this year, the Federal High Court sitting in Jos held that the PDP complied with the Justice Gang’s judgment as delivered by Hon. Justice D.V Agishi validating the State Executive of the Party as duly elected.
“The same judgment was also unanimously affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Jos in favour of the PDP by Hon. Justice TY Hassan, Hon. Justice I.A Andenyangtso and Hon. O.O Goodluck. On the 11th February, 2023.
“The implication of this Judgments is that PDP has a valid and solid structure through which our mandate was given and we optimistic that the appeal court would reverse the judgment of the Tribunal.
“More so, despite the evidence tendered before the Tribunal by the INEC & PDP on the repeat Congresses conducted on the 25th September, 2021 as a result of the court rulings, the Tribunal went ahead to declare that Senator Napoleon Bali, Hon Beni Lar, Hon Musa Bagos, and Hon Peter Gyendeng have been disqualified on the ground of the so-called “structural issues.
“We want to know under which provision of the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the APC to challenge the candidacies of the People’s Democratic Party,” he said.
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