The National and State Assembly Tribunal, sitting in Jos, the capital of Plateau state, has ousted three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers from their positions on the grounds of insufficient party structure….CONTINUE READING....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The affected lawmakers are Remvyat Nanbol, Agbalak Adukuchill, and Happiness Akawu, who represented Langtang Central, Rukuba/Iregwe, and Pengana constituencies in the State House of Assembly, respectively.

In delivering its verdict, the panel, led by Justice Muhammad Tukur, determined that the dismissed legislators were not officially endorsed by the PDP due to their failure to comply with court orders mandating the conduct of ward congresses, a necessary step for establishing a valid party structure.

Justice Tukur also emphasized that the PDP lacked a viable structure and, consequently, could not nominate candidates for an election.

The tribunal clarified that the petitioners had the legal standing to challenge the PDP’s involvement in the election.

As a result, the tribunal’s chairman directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the Certificates of Return from the ousted lawmakers and issue new ones to the election winners.

Dr. Nentawe Yiltwatda, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election, is contesting the victory of Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who ran under the PDP.

INEC had declared Mutfwang the winner of the election, with 525,299 votes, surpassing Yiltwatda, who secured 481,370 votes. However, the APC candidate has pursued legal action to challenge the election outcome.

The tribunal had previously removed four PDP National Assembly members, including a senator, due to party structure issues.