The Supreme Court has deferred judgment in the appeal challenging the removal of Caleb Mutfwang as Plateau State governor.

On November 19, the Court of Appeal in Abuja removed Mutfwang from the position of governor in Plateau State. After parties presented their respective briefs on Tuesday, a Supreme Court panel led by John Okoro mentioned that the judgment date would be communicated to the parties. On March 20, Idris Amali, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer in Plateau, declared Mutfwang the election winner with 525,299 votes, while Nentawe Yilwatda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, secured 481,370 votes. The results indicate that the PDP won in 10 LGAs, including Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Langtang North, Langtang South, Riyom, Mikang, Mangu, Jos East, Qua’an Pan, and Pankshin.

Dissatisfied with the results, Yilwatda and his party filed a petition contesting the election outcome. In the judgment delivered by the tribunal led by Rita Irele-Ifijeh, it held that the petitioners’ concerns about party structure were pre-election matters, asserting that Yilwatda and the APC lacked the legal standing to challenge them. Additionally, the tribunal noted that the PDP conducted a repeat congress on September 25, 2021, in compliance with the order of a Jos high court delivered by Judge S.P. Gang.

Unhappy with the tribunal’s ruling, the APC and its candidate appealed. The appellate court panel determined that the PDP breached the court order mandating a valid congress in all 17 LGAs of Plateau, as it only conducted it in five, rendering it null. Dismissing the tribunal’s decision, the court of appeal clarified that the question of qualification is both pre-election and post-election, contradicting the tribunal’s finding that the appellant lacked the legal standing to challenge the respondent’s validity. The court also concurred that Mutfwang wasn’t appropriately sponsored by the PDP.

During the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, Kanu Agabi, counsel to Mutfwang, urged the court to nullify the appellate court’s judgment, arguing that the matters raised in the petition were pre-election issues. The Supreme Court is anticipated to render its judgment before January 16.