Plateau State Governor Manasseh Mutfwang claims he did not receive a fair hearing at the Court of Appeal before his election nullification.

On March 20, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mutfwang as the Plateau State Governor-elect with 525,299 votes, surpassing Nentawe Yilwatda of the APC, who garnered 481,370 votes. Dissatisfied with the results, Yilwatda and his party filed a petition, but the tribunal dismissed it. In November, a three-member panel at the Court of Appeal, led by Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, declared that Mutfwang was not validly sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the election. Subsequently, Mutfwang filed an appeal before the Supreme Court. During Tuesday’s hearing, Mutfwang argued that the dismissal of the seven issues he raised at the Court of Appeal went against the directive of the Supreme Court, which mandates intermediate courts to pronounce on all presented issues.

“Eight issues were presented before the lower court for determination. Regrettably, only one issue (jurisdiction) was addressed, leaving seven untouched,” he stated. “Intermediate courts are urged, by numerous precedents, to rule on all presented issues, providing the apex court with the benefit of their perspectives in case further considerations arise.”

He continued, “We contend that by denying the appellant a fair hearing regarding the notice of preliminary objection and a motion to strike out the incompetent grounds of appeal, the lower court’s decision to dismiss them is inherently flawed.” He requested the court to reverse the judgment of the lower court and validate his election as the governor of Plateau.