Tribunal to deliver judgement on Plateau governorship election Friday

The Plateau State Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal has scheduled Friday, September 22, as the day for delivering its judgment on the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Nentawe Yiltwatda.

The petition challenges the victory of Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the Saturday, March 18 election.

A member of the PDP’s legal team, Barrister Sunday Odey, confirmed the impending judgement date during a press briefing at the state capital, Jos, on Wednesday.

“Yes, it is true. The ruling of the governorship tribunal in the case between the PDP and the APC has been fixed for Friday, September 22, 2023,” Odey said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Mutfwang the winner of the election after he secured 525,299 votes, defeating Yiltwatda, who garnered 481,370 votes.

Earlier, the tribunal dismissed a petition lodged by the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Alfred Dabwan.

Dabwan had sought the nullification of the election results, alleging that his party’s logo was excluded from the ballot by INEC.

However, the tribunal ruled against him, reinforcing Governor Mutfwang’s victory.