Gen. Jeremiah Useini and the Plateau State People’s Democratic
Party PDP has successfully filed Petition against Simon Bako Lalong, the
National Electoral Commission and the All Progressives Congress.
According to statement signed by Plateau PDP State Campaign Council
Media and Publicity Committee, the petitioners wants the tribunal to
consider that the declaration of Simon Bako Lalong by INEC as the winner
of the governorship elections of March 9th and 23rd 2019 is “unlawful,
undue, null and void, and of no effect.”
The statement reads
“Plateau PDP State Campaign Council
Media and Publicity Committee
PRESS RELEASE
IT’S IN! SEN. JT USENI FILES PETITION ON PLATEAU GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION.
Plateau PDP Gubernatorial Candidate Senator Jeremiah Timbut Useni has
successfully filed his petition at the governorship elections tribunal
in Jos.
He wants the tribunal to consider that the declaration of Simon Bako
Lalong by INEC as the winner of the governorship elections of March 9th
and 23rd 2019 is “unlawful, undue, null and void, and of no effect.”
The petition is served against Simon Bako Lalong, the National Electoral Commission and the All Progressives Congress. I
Senator Useni, together with the Peoples Democratic Party is praying the
tribunal to nullify Lalong’s return and to order INEC to withdraw his
Certificate of Return.
The petition points out that the PDP candidate was “duly and validly
elected and ought to be returned as the winner of the governorship
election in Plateau State, having polled the highest number of lawful
votes cast…and having satisfied the constitutional requirements of the
said election.”
It therefore wants the tribunal to order INEC to issue Senator Useni
with a Certificate of Return as the duly elected governor of Plateau
State.
However, Senator Useni’s petition also provides for alternatives.
The first is that the tribunal declare that Simon Bako Lalong is
disqualified from contesting the election of the office of Governor
“having deliberately provided false information about himself” to INEC
and worldwide when he filed in his documents to contest the governorship
election.
The second is that the tribunal order a re-run of the governorship
election in which both Simon Bako Lalong and APC are excluded from
participating.
Thirdly, the petitioner seeks the tribunal to nullify the
governorship election conducted in all the polling units complained
about and to order INEC to conduct fresh election in those particular
polling units.
And although Useni ‘s petition has been successfully entered, there
is no date yet appointed and communicated for the inaugural seating of
the three-member tribunal under the chairmanship of Hon. Justice H.A
Saleeman.
To get to this point, Useni’s team of lawyers had successfully beaten
off a challenging and potentially frustrating attitude by INEC to allow
them access to and inspect all polling documents as ordered by judges
of the tribunal on April 2, 2019.
The PDP candidate had also beefed up his legal team which is expected to put up a successful challenge at the tribunal.
Meantime, the PDP legal team has been working assiduously on
responding to National and State House of Assembly petitions served
against the party and its candidates by the ruling party as well as
countering responses against PDP petitions”.
Yiljap Abraham
Chairman
Media and Publicity
