Just in: Appeal Court sacks Governor Mutfwang of Plateau

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has voided the election of Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Plateau State.

In a judgment on Sunday, a three-member panel of the court, led by Justice Elphreda Williams-Dawodu, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Mutfwang and issued a fresh one to Nentawe Goshwe of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who the court declared as the valid winner of the March 18 governorship election.

Justice Williams-Dawodu, in the lead judgment, set aside the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Election, which had dismissed the petition of the APC and its candidate.

The judge held that Mutfwang was not validly sponsored by the PDP and that he was not qualified to have contested the election because the PDP did not conduct valid state, Local Government and Ward congresses ordered by a High Court of Plateau State and it had no structure as at the time of the election