In an interview with Arise TV, Rt. Hon. Istifanus Mwansat described these findings as a miscarriage of justice, noting that the Appeal Court’s decisions appeared to be intended to set the Plateau people against one another.
His words: “What is happening in the Court of Appeal is one of the wonders of the world. Because where you have the same Court of Appeal sitting in the same courtrooms, same facts giving conflicting judgments, it calls for concern.”
Mwansat outlined the inconsistencies in the rulings, providing instances such as the Plateau North Senatorial District, where the Appeal Court ordered a rerun even though the Labour Party candidate finished second and the APC third; similarly, in the Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency, where the PDP emerged victorious and the PRP in second place, the Appeal Court called for a rerun involving all political parties.
Mwansat objected, pointing out the Shendam/Quanpan/Mikang Federal Constituency, where the Appeal Tribunal dismissed the PDP candidate, giving the victory to the APC, merely to placate the party.
He denounced the rulings as contradictory and claimed that they were an intentional attempt to strip the PDP candidates of their resounding wins in the state. Mwansat, a member of the PDP’s Caretaker Committee, which oversaw the Plateau party congresses, stressed that by holding the state congresses again on September 25, 2023, the PDP had complied with an order from the State High Court.
He specifically brought up the issue of PDP candidate for Langtang North State Constituency Augustine Timkuk, who filed a Federal High Court appeal to the party’s primary election results.
