By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Plateau State National and State House of Assembly election petition tribunal has affirmed the election of Hon. Joseph Nannim Langyi (PDP) as duly elected member Representing Langtang North- North State constituency and dismissed the petition of Hon.
Hon.Nimchak Abel (APC) for lack of merit.
Hon.Nimchak Abel (APC) has filled a petition challenging the election of Nannim Joseph Langyi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in March 18th 2023 general election.
Justice Emmanuel Nwazunke of panel 2 who read the judgement, said the petitioners has failed to discharge the burden of prove of over voting alleged in the petition.
He said the petitioner petition is predicated on issues of non compliance to the electoral act 2022, that the 3rd Respondent PDP didn’t have structure in Plateau State to sponsored and nominate the 2nd respondent to contest for election in Plateau State .
The Tribunal confirmed that PDP has solid structure in the State after the Congress held on the 25th September, 2021 at Langfield resort in Jos South Local Government of Plateau State.
The tribunal further said that the petitioners is neither member of the 3rd Respondent to challenge the nomination and sponsorship of the 2nd Respondent.
The tribunal highlight those qualified to challenge the candidature of a particular party in an election to include an aggrieved Candidate of the same Party who contested and lost for an obvious reasons perceived to have been caused by either the 1st or 3rd respondent as the case may be.
As against the background, the trial Tribunal dismissed all the petitioners petition for lacking in merit as the petition is tantamount to waste of the Tribunal’s precious Judicial time.
The Judge also harped on the petitioners lack of locus standi to challenge the nomination and sponsorship of the 2nd Respondent because he is not a member or a card carrying member or doesn’t participated in the primaries of the 3rd Respondent to institute a suit against the respondents.
So many documents tendered as related to the petition were struck out for incompetent and didn’t add value to the Tribunal.
According to the judgment , “INEC monitored the conduct of the repeated Congresses held by the 3rd Respondent in compliance to series of judgments by Hon.Justice Ishaya Kunda, Hon. Justice S.P.Gang and Justice Arum Ashoms of State High Court including Federal High Court judgment of Justice Dorcas Agishi and the Appellate court respectively.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Journalists after the judgement Hon. Joseph Nannim Langyi called on his opponent and his supporters to join hands with him to move Langtang North-north state constituency to greater heights.
