Plateau Gov Poll: Useni Heads To Appeal Court Over Tribunal Judgment

The gubernatorial candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Sen. Jeremiah Useni has filed an appeal suit challenging the verdict of the Election Petition Tribunal in the state for upholding the victory of Governor Simon Lalong as the legitimate winner of the 2019, gubernatorial election in the state.
It could be recalled that the tribunal delivered the verdict on October 2nd, 2019 upholding the All Progressive Congress APC candidate as the winner of the election.
Useni in his appeal suit sited 21 grounds for the Appeal Court to upturn the verdict of the tribunal.
The grounds on which he based his appeal suit includes provision of false information supplied by Lalong, amounted to his disqualification. Adding that the tribunal in its verdict confirmed that the information provided by the Lalong was fasle.
The Legal counsel to the PDP candidate, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN said “the inescapable conclusion that ought to be reached by the Tribunal is that the 2nd Respondent is not qualified to contest election into the office of Governor,” instead, the Learned Tribunal “clearly somersaulted in arriving at its decision which was at odds with its findings and this occasioned a miscarriage of justice.”
The petitioners want an order declaring that the 2nd Respondent, Lalong was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast in the election into the office of Governor of Plateau State and that the declaration and return of the 2nd Respondent by the 1st Respondent, INEC as the winner of the election is unlawful, undue, null, void and of no effect.
The petitioner also seek an order nullifying the return of the 2nd Respondent as the winner of the Governorship Election and directing INEC to withdraw Simon Bako Lalong’s certificate of return; declare and return Useni as validly elected and issue him a certificate of Return as the duly elected Governor of Plateau State.