The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has disqualified Simon Mwadkwon, the Senate Minority Leader and representative of Plateau North under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The decision was made by a three-member panel led by Daudu Williams, who cited concerns over the validity of Mr. Mwadkwon’s nomination by the PDP for the senatorial election that occurred on February 25.
The Court found that the PDP’s nomination of Mr. Mwadkwon was invalid due to the absence of 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) participating in the congress that selected him as the party’s candidate for the election. Consequently, the panel has instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a rerun for the Plateau North Senatorial seat within a 90-day timeframe.
It’s important to note that INEC had previously confirmed Mr. Mwadkwon as the winner of the February 25 senatorial election. However, dissatisfaction with this outcome prompted Chris Giwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Gyang Zi of the Labour Party (LP) to file petitions challenging Mr. Mwadkwon’s victory before the National Assembly Election Tribunal in Jos, the capital of Plateau State. The tribunal dismissed the petitions, citing a lack of merit.
Unhappy with the tribunal’s decision, Mr. Giwa and Mr. Zi then appealed to the Court of Appeal. After considering the arguments from all three parties, the Court of Appeal concurred that Mr. Mwadkwon’s nomination as the party’s candidate for the senatorial election was not valid.
Mr. Williams, who delivered the court’s judgment, referred to a pre-existing court order from the Plateau State High Court issued in 2020. This order stipulated that for a candidate to be nominated for an election, 12 LGAs must participate in the PDP congress.