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Plateau: Coalition wants judicial review of Appeal court verdict
Some civil society organisations (CSOs) have called for the review of the Appeal court verdict which upheld the sack of Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.
The coalition under the aegis National Civil Society Consultative Forum on Election Integrity made the call at a media briefing themed “Concerns over threat to multi-party system despite compliance with the electoral act, court orders and judicial independence post-2023 general elections” in Abuja on Tuesday.
The coalition vonvener, Mr Salaudeen Hashim, said judgment of the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja that nullified the election of Governor Mutfwang if left unattended to will pose danger to democracy.
They also bemoaned what they say is encroachment into judicial independence in the country.
“This type of judicial outcome will also breed hatred and voter apathy in subsequent elections. Evidence showed how several conflicting judgments handed down by several courts of record significantly constrained political participation and associative freedoms.
“The civic space declines when conflicting judgments influence electoral outcomes in a direction that is inconsistent with the wishes of the electorate.
“Conflicting court judgments also slow down the expeditious delivery of justice by increasing the number of cases requiring appellate consideration,” Hashim said.
He said that the Appeal Court panel based its decision on the Plateau State verdict on the premise that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State had no valid structure and had violated a state high court order that directed the party to conduct fresh congresses in the state.
He stated, “However, this claim is contradicted by the fact that the political party had complied with the court order and held a legitimate State Congress on the 25th of September 2021, where delegates from all the 17 local government areas of the state participated and elected their representatives.
“Therefore, the Appeal Court judgment that sacked all the elected members in the state, including the Governor, is seen as unjust, unfair, and baseless and we join our voices with legal luminaries, such as Femi Falana SAN, Daniel Bwala, Kalu Agu, and several Nigerian citizens, who have rejected and condemned the verdict and appeal to the Supreme Court to correct the anomaly.
“We urge political actors to refrain from any actions that may undermine the integrity of the judiciary or compromise the independence of judges. Attempts to exert undue influence, make unfounded allegations, or engage in any form of intimidation against the judiciary threaten the landscape of democratic infrastructure.”
General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has assured that all security challenges facing the nation will be effectively addressed by the year’s end.
This statement was made during the launch of attack drones and the demonstration of locally produced bombs, developed by a homegrown technology firm.
The event was attended by security specialists and senior government officials, as General Musa showcased the indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the audience.
Accompanied by Ajao Adewale, the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, and Caleb Mutfwang, the Governor of Plateau State, General Musa emphasized the ongoing bureaucratic obstacles in acquiring military equipment from abroad.
Governor Mutfwang stressed the urgency for decisive measures against insecurity, calling on leaders to prevent any entity within the nation from possessing military capabilities.
The operational features of the UAVs were also demonstrated, with General Musa expressing satisfaction with this advancement, labeling it a pivotal step in combating insecurity in the country.
The Supreme Court has set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous judgment on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
It held that issue of leadership was internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction.
The court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Ester Nenadi Usman and one other and held that it was meritorious.
It proceeded to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP got being unmeritorious.
Details shortly…
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, special adviser on political matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has resigned from his position, According to Daily Trust.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that the former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) resigned two weeks ago.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Baba-Ahmed as special adviser on political matters to Shettima in September 2023.
Baba-Ahmed is the elder sibling of Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election.
Baba-Ahmed served as chief of staff to Bukola Saraki, former senate president, from 2017-2019.
CONFRONTATION WITH MATAWALLE OVER NEF
In April 2024, Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence, described the NEF as a “political paperweight” after the group stated that the north made a mistake voting Tinubu in 2023.
In his reaction to Matawalle’s remarks, Baba-Ahmed said it would have served the Tinubu administration better if Matawalle had listed his achievements as minister — and the achievements of the other northern appointees — instead of attacking NEF.
“Scathing criticism of NEF by a junior minister of defence, Matawalle, is ill-advised. He could have done a better job for this admin if he identified contributions of especially northern ministers and other appointees like me to improving security and reducing poverty in the North,” Baba-Ahmed said.
In a riposte, the minister said any appointee must defend and promote the administration they work for.
“Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) is well-known,” Matawalle said.
“The fact now is that he is an appointee of the administration as Special Adviser and it is incumbent on him to work for the success of the government he is part of, protect and defend the government against unjust and vicious attacks from those who hide under ethnic and other primordial interests to heat up the polity for myopic reasons.
“It is pertinent to state that every appointee of President Tinubu including Dr. Baba-Ahmed owes the government a copious duty to promote, elucidate and advance the good works and commendable efforts of the government across all sectors.”
He added that northern appointees must defend the government or take their exit.
Matawalle is a native of Zamfara while Baba-Ahmed hails from Kaduna.