Appeal court upholds nullification of assembly member’s election

The Court of Appeal sitting in Jos, Plateau State has upheld the judgment of the National and State Assemblies tribunal nullifying the election of Vincent Bulus Venman of the Peoples Democratic Party as a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
Delivering judgment, Justice B. Bage ordered the conduct of a fresh election in Langtang South State Constituency where he was elected to represent within 90 days.
Bage said the lower tribunal was right in disqualifying the PDP candidate, who was an ex-convict, from the contest.
He said Venman had not met the requirement of the law to qualify for the state pardon granted him by the former Governor of the state, Senator Jonah Jang.
The court said while the former governor had the right to grant pardon to Venman, he did not follow the due process of law that requires the report of an amnesty committee as a condition for exercising the right.
The Appeal Court, however, refused the prayer of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Jackson Danladi, that he be declared winner of the election following the disqualification of Venman.
The judge said the law prescribes a re-run poll in the prevailing scenario.
Meanwhile, the court has ordered a re-run election in one polling unit each in Pankshin South and Pankshin North State Constituencies.
The appellants, Dat Dashe and Diket Plang of the APC and PDP respectively, had appealed the judgment of the election tribunal that affirmed the elections of Istifanus Mwansat (PDP) and Alice Dimlong (APC).
The tribunal held that the numbers of registered voters in each of the polling units cancelled were more than the winning margins recorded by those initially declared victors and could change the results.
NAN.