by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Plateau North Senatorial District petition of rerun election, filed by Chris Giwa of the APC, against the election of Senator Pam Mwadkwon Dachungyang has been dismissed.
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Bauchi dismissed the petition on Wednesday and declared Prince Pam Mwadkwon Dachungyang as “validly elected” at the Rerun Elections conducted by INEC in February this year.
Our correspondent reports that a panel of three Judges, led by Hon. Justice Cordelia Ogadi, unanimously dismissed the petition for “lacking in merit” and affirmed Senator Mwadkwon as winner of the election.
This development follows the event in which Chirs Giwa, who emerged third position, was not satisfied with the declaration of Sen. Mwadkwon by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the rerun election conducted on 3rd February, 2024, for Plateau Northern Senatorial District and had approached the Tribunal to seek for redress.
In his prayers to the Tribunal, Chirs Giwa urged the Tribunal to declare votes gained by Sen. Mwadkwon and ADP – that is, 1st and 2nd respondents, as well as Mohammad Shafiu and New Nigeria People’s Party to the 3rd and 4th respondents during the election – as invalid votes.
According to him, the Appeal Court judgment delivered on the 22nd October, 2023, which dismissed former Sen. Minority Leader, Simon Mwadkwon, and ordered for rerun election, limited participation for political parties.
While saying that, the 1st to 4th respondents as at the time of the rerun election held on 3rd February, 2024, were not qualified to contest, as they were not party to the Appeal Court judgment; hence they cannot be beneficiaries.
He said, the 5th respondent (INEC) had erred to the ruling of the Appeal Court and went ahead to include 1st to 4th respondents in the rerun election.
The petitioners prayed the Tribunal to declare votes accrued to the 1st to 4th respondents as wasted votes; that, INEC should withdraw certificate of return from Sen. Pam Dachungyang Mwadkwon and issue to Chris Giwa as authentic winner of the election.
The Tribunal, in its judgment, held that the petitioners failed to proof the grounds of their pleadings, saying that there are no facts backing their pleadings.
The evidence available before the Tribunal shows that, both the 1st to 4th respondents participated in the 2023 general elections and, going by the judgment of the Appeal Court – which stated thus: ‘all parties herein’ – there is no segment of political party apart from PDP.
“The petition is hereby dismissed for lacking of merit and affirmed Sen. Pam Dachungyang Mwadkwon as winner of Plateau North Senatorial District rerun election held on the 3rd February, 2024, by Justice Ogadi.”
The Tribunal also ordered petitioners to pay the sum of three hundred thousand naira (N300,000) only to the 3rd respondent.