Supreme Court Dismisses Labour Party Guber-Ticket Suit In Plateau State

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Supreme Court in Abuja has dismissed an appeal brought before it by an aspirant of the Labour Party (LP) governorship ticket in Plateau State, Ambassador Yohanna Margif, challenging the nomination of Dr Patrick Dakum as the party’s candidate.

Justice John Inyang Okoro threw out the appeal following its dramatic withdrawal by Margif upon discovery that the matter had become statute-barred.

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Counsel to the appellant, Mr Opeyemi George Ojo, had pleaded with the Supreme Court to invoke Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act to take over the matter and resolve all disputed issues in the interest of justice to his client.

However, the 5-man panel of justices of the court rejected the plea, stating that the conditions precedent for the court to invoke Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act were not met.

In his brief, Margif had challenged the emergence of Dakum as the LP’s gubernatorial candidate in Plateau State, insisting that he won the party’s primary election and never withdrew his nomination. However, the party claimed that Margif voluntarily withdrew his candidacy and copied the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the same letter, following which a new primary election was conducted and Dakum emerged.

Margif had initiated the legal battle at a Federal High Court in Jos but lost, as the court upheld the position of the LP and declared Dakum as the legitimate governorship candidate of the party in Plateau State. Justice Dorcas Agishi in her judgment on December 9, 2022, affirmed Dakum as the authentic candidate of the party, having followed the party’s guidelines to emerge as the flag bearer.

Not satisfied with the High Court’s decision, Margif approached the Court of Appeal but lost and subsequently moved to the Supreme Court for a final decision.

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With the Supreme Court’s judgment, the long-drawn legal action on the LP’s gubernatorial candidate tussle for Plateau State has been laid to rest.