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 by-election, George Daika, is not eligible to contest because the process that produced him as candidate is ‘faulty’.
In a statement signed by its representative, Angela Barde, the group said the election of the PDP state executive that conducted the primary was nullified by a court of competent jurisdiction, hence, anything done by the executive is null and void.
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 P. S. Gang delivered the judgment in a suit filed by a 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, councils and state congresses.
Following the judgment, Barde called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify Daika from contesting Saturday’s by-election.