Ahead of the Saturday 18th March 2023 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections, the legal team of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State has said the party has valid and competent candidates who were elected in line with the 2022 Electoral Act and will be on the ballot.
This was disclosed in a statement by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN and made available to the media, following a recent rumor saying that the party may not be on the ballot.
Ozekhome, a renown Senior Advocate of Nigeria said; all PDP candidates in Plateau State were validly nominated under the extant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
He stated that the law is clear and that the PDP followed all other extant provisions of the Act, its party constitution and the guidelines for the nomination of its candidates.
“Relatedly, section 84(14) vests the power and locus standi of challenging the process to only aspirants of the party who contested the party primaries of the party. No other person has the locus to question the process”.
“All nominated candidates of the PDP in Plateau state will be on the Ballot for the election and such nomination by the party cannot be challenged even at the Election Petition Tribunal”.
“It is purely a domestic issue of the political parties and the tribunal lacks the jurisdiction to delve into such matters. Election matters are sue generis and such Pre-Election matters are statute barred.” Ozekhome stated.
Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State had to also dispel the same rumor and declared that it will be on the ballot prior to the February 25th Presidential, Senate and Federal House of Representatives elections.
The PDP in Plateau went on to win 2 of the 3 declared results of the senatorial seats and 5 out of the 7 declared results in the House of Representatives Seats for Plateau State.
The PDP is therefore calling on all members and of the party in the state to ignore the unfounded and unsubstantiated lies making the rounds in the social media and come out enmasse on Saturday 18th March to vote for the all PDP Candidates.
