Protests erupted in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, as residents vehemently opposed the recent Court of Appeal judgement which ousted the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang.
The uproar, held on a peaceful Sunday, called for a comprehensive review of all Appeal Court verdicts regarding the Plateau elections.
The appellate court’s decision annulled the earlier ruling of the governorship election tribunal that had affirmed Mutfwang’s victory, and instead pronounced Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner, instructing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him a fresh certificate of return.
However, the judgement concerning the governorship polls and other electoral cases on the Plateau were described by the Jos residents as stark “injustice.”
Philemon Jangkam, the youth leader of Angwan Rukuba Junction, passionately urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to meticulously reevaluate all the judgements.
“We have observed the evident injustice in the Appeal Court’s decisions, particularly in the cases that led to the ousting of Representative Isaac Kwallu, Senator Simon Mwadkon, Representative Dachung Bagos, and other esteemed lawmakers,” Jangkam expressed. “The youth of this community are deeply aggrieved and resolute in their refusal to accept these judgements. We will persist in our protests until these verdicts, including those that deposed our national assembly members, are subjected to review,” he added.
Furthermore, Samson Iliya condemned the judgement as a deliberate undermining of the people’s democratic choice. He highlighted that the peaceful protest signaled their profound dissatisfaction with the judiciary’s pronouncements.
“We overwhelmingly cast our votes for the governor and the dismissed lawmakers; they represent the preferences of the majority of Plateau people, and we cannot permit the judiciary to dictate our leadership,” he firmly asserted.
