By Chinelo Obogo
Southern Zone Youths, a political group in Plateau State, has alleged that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming Plateau South Senatorial bye-election, George Daika, is not eligible to contest, alleging that the process that produced him as candidate was ‘faulty’.
In a statement signed by the group’s representative, Angela Barde, the group said that the election of the state executive of the PDP that conducted the primary was nullified by a court of competent jurisdiction, saying anything done by that executive is null and void.
The Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos had last Thursday, sacked the Chris Hassan-led executive of the state PDP and described the congress that produced it as illegal and lacking in merit under the law of natural justice.
Justice PS Gang delivered the judgment in a suit filed by the former member representing Jos South /Jos East Federal Constituency, Bitrus Kaze, challenging their exclusion from participating in the congresses conducted by Yakubu Chocho’s caretaker committee.
The judgment read that for the national secretariat of the party to have reappointed Chocho into the caretaker committee to conduct screening of members was illegal and unconstitutional based on section 223 of the Constitution, as amended, and section 25(a) of PDP guidelines for the conduct of wards, LGs and state congresses.
Following the judgement, Ms Barde called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify Daika from contesting Saturday’s bye-election, saying: ‘We wish to remind the PDP that the court isn’t a political association or as compromised as they may think.
“The order of the court in the sacking of the state exco is very clear and self-explanatory to the good citizens of Plateau State. As a group, we call on INEC not to allow the candidate of the PDP to participate in the forthcoming Plateau south bye-election.”
