The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally submitted petitions to the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission. These petitions address the removal of its members in the Senate, House of Representatives, and Plateau State House of Assembly by the Court of Appeal last year.

In November of the preceding year, the Court of Appeal in Abuja nullified the positions of all 16 PDP members in the Plateau State House of Assembly due to pre-election issues related to alleged disobedience of court orders and lack of political structure. Prior to this, the appellate court had also ousted four PDP members from the House of Representatives and two senators from the state.

Chief Mike Ozekhome, a prominent lawyer, accused the Court of Appeal of infringing on the voting rights of Plateau State citizens, predicting that the consequences of this injustice would linger for the next four years. While Ozekhome expressed a belief in the irreversibility of the situation, other senior lawyers argued that only the Plateau State government could approach the Supreme Court to challenge the grounds upon which the Court of Appeal based its judgment, a decision the apex court deemed “perverse.”

The Supreme Court’s recent decision, which overturned the dismissal of Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang by the Court of Appeal, sparked commentary from the justices. Justice Inyang Okoro, heading the five-member panel, emphasized that the nomination issue was within the exclusive domain of a political party and not subject to judicial review. This sentiment was echoed by other justices, including Justice Helen Ogunwunmiju and Justice Emmanuel Agim, who criticized the Court of Appeal for overstepping its jurisdiction.

Deputy National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, announced the party’s resolution to petition the relevant federal judicial institutions for a review of the Court of Appeal’s decisions regarding the alleged injustice against the 16 lawmakers from Plateau State. Abdullahi emphasized that the Supreme Court’s judgments had indicted the Court of Appeal justices.

Among the affected PDP members were Senator Napoleon Bali, whose victory was nullified and handed to Senator Simon Lalong, and Hon. Beni Lar, Musa Bagos, and Musa Agah, who were removed from the House of Representatives for alleged invalid nomination.

Former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah Jang, expressed gratitude to the people of Plateau for their vigilance and confirmed that the PDP had petitioned the NJC to review all judgments involving Plateau State delivered by the Court of Appeal. Senator Jang stressed the need to restore the people’s rightful representation.

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, Ozekhome commented on the irreversible damage inflicted on Plateau State and called for a reconsideration of the Electoral Act to ensure that such matters are directed to the Supreme Court. He criticized the Court of Appeal for undermining the people’s voting rights and coined the term ‘Judocracy’ to describe the court’s interference in the electoral process.

In conclusion, PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, had earlier called for a review of the Court of Appeal’s judgments, describing them as biased. The party continues its pursuit of justice, seeking redress for its members affected by the appellate court’s decisions.”