Plateau LG polls: Appeal Court Sacks APC Chairman, Declares PDP’s Candidate Winner

The Plateau State Election Appeal Tribunal on Friday declared Mr. Ubandoman Joshua-Laven of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of Langtang North Local Government polls held in October 10, 2018.

Justice Arum Ashom, Chairman of the Appeal Tribunal, made the declaration in an over 8 hours judgement on the appeal filed before it by Ubandom.

Mr. Ubandoma Joshua-Laven, PDP Chairmanship candidate had challenged the declaration of APC’s candidate, Mr. Kparnim Nanloh-Amos, by Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), as winner of Oct. 10, 2018 LG polls in the state.

But Mr. Jovita Binjin led Election Petition Tribunal had, in a six hour judgement delivered on May 25, dismissed PDP’s only surviving Langtang-North petition for lack of merit.

Dissatisfied with that judgement of lower tribunal, PDP and Ubandoma, had approached the Appeal Tribunal and appealed against it and asked the tribunal to declare him winner alleging that he pulled the highest votes of the elections.

Consequently, Ashom, chairman of the appeal tribunal, delivering the judgement at the High Court premises, said, “the lower tribunal goofed when it dismissed the petition of PDP and Ubandoma on May 25.’’

According to the appeal tribunal, several mistakes were made by the lower court when taking decisions on some of the exhibits presented before it by all the parties involved.

The appeal tribunal faulted the lower tribunal for accepting a baseless result hurriedly presented by PLASIEC after the petitioners had completed their prosecution.

It described that result as worthless when compared with what were compiled at the various polling units as authentic results at the 17 wards of the area.

The tribunal gave the actual results for both APC and PDP as 14, 708 and 19, 599 votes respectively.

“With Ubandoma Joshua-Laven of PDP having scored 19, 599 as against 14, 708 votes of his APC counterpart, Mr. Kparnim Nanloh-Amos, he has met the required votes according to the law and is hereby declared winner and returned elected.

“Consequently, PLASIEC is hereby ordered to issue the 1st Appellant, Mr Ubandoma Joshua-Laven of PDP with certificate of return as the duly elected chairman of Langtang North Local Government.

“This is the judgement of the judgment of the election appeal tribunal, ’’ Ashom declared.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the judgement, Counsel to the Ubandoma, Niri Darong described the judgement as a victory to democracy and the people of Langtang North.

“This judgment delivered by the election appeal tribunal has gone to show that there is hope for Nigeria and Nigerians, ’’ Darong stated.

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