…Wants panel’s disbandment, judgement review
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said it has instructed its lawyers to petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the conduct of justices on the Plateau State Election Appeal Court panel, for acts are unbecoming of judicial officers.
The party also called for immediate disbandment of the panel, as well as a review of judgements already delivered by the panel.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, at a press conference in Abuja, alleged that the panel was “manifestly biased and inconsistent in the judgements” it delivered in election petitions concerning its candidates in Plateau State in the last general elections.
“This frightening pattern by the Plateau Appeal Court Panel constitutes a clear and present danger to our democratic process, national peace and stability; a bad precedent for judicial mischief and particularly a recipe for anarchy, chaos and breakdown of law and order in already tensed Plateau State,” Ologunagba stated.
He accused the panel of varying and conflicting judicial pronouncements, which he said, were capable of undermining democracy in the country.
The party spokesperson further alleged that the panel has been compromised and induced by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State to undermine the will of the people by snatching elections won by the PDP and awarding the same to the APC.
Ologunagba wondered how cases with similar facts and applicable laws, especially before the same court, at the same material time, could result in different outcomes.
According to him, “the panel in the most concerning pattern reached different conclusions with respect to election appeals with the same subject matter, same facts, same circumstances and same applicable laws in bias judgements clearly skewed against the PDP in favour of the APC.”
Specifically, Ologunagba mentioned the case of Plateau North senatorial district won, which he claimed, was won by Senator Simon Mwadkwon of the PDP, but the appeal panel, in its judgement on October 22, “curiously annulled PDP’s victory and ordered INEC to conduct a rerun election among all the parties.”
He also pointed at the case of Jos North/Bassa federal constituency, which he said, was won by Hon. Musa Agar of the PDP with the APC candidate coming third, only for the panel in its judgement on October 27, “annulled the victory of the PDP and ordered a rerun excluding the PDP.”
According to him, in the appeal case of Shendam/Quaan-Pan/Mikang federal constituency, won by Hon. Isaac Kwallu of the PDP with John Dafwan of the APC as runner-up, the Appeal Court justices, equally annulled the victory of the PDP candidate and declared the APC candidate as outright winner.
Ologunagba stated that “The Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel judgements has heightened tension in Plateau State and is capable of triggering a serious crisis as the people believe that the appeal panel is on a paid mission to take away the mandate which they freely gave to the PDP candidates at the elections and illegally awarding them to the APC.
“These conflicting verdicts by the same panel of justices have the consequence to gravely impugn the integrity of the Appeal Court and the institution of the judiciary even as it further appears to lend credence to allegations of inducement by the APC.
“The Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel judgements are not only capable of inflaming passion and likely to set the stage for crisis in Plateau State but also likely to ridicule and bring the institution of the judiciary to public opprobrium.”
He demanded that the President of the Court of Appeal should immediately disband the Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel, and constitute a new panel to hear the remaining appeals “as the current panel has shown manifest bias to unduly favour the APC candidates.
“The continued retention of the present Plateau State Election Appeal Court Panel will be construed by the people of Plateau State as an act of insensitivity and injustice.”