The National Assembly Rerun Election Petition Tribunal for Plateau Northern Senatorial District, convened in Bauchi, has dismissed an allegation of certificate forgery against Senator Pam Dachungyang Mwadkwon of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). The three-man panel, led by Hon. Justice Cordelia Ogadi, ruled on Wednesday that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Senator Mwadkwon had forged his First School Leaving Certificate.
The case was brought forward by Mohammad Shafiu, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) candidate, who had placed second in the February 3, 2024, rerun election. Dissatisfied with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaring Mwadkwon the winner, Shafiu sought redress from the Tribunal, accusing the senator of submitting a fraudulent certificate on the INEC form EC9.
The Tribunal, however, ruled that the allegation of forgery should have been raised within 14 days of the party primaries and would have been under the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. The Tribunal further stated that Shafiu, as a member of NNPP, lacked the standing to challenge the ADP candidate’s qualification. As a result, the petition was dismissed for lacking merit, and Mwadkwon’s election was affirmed.
Following the judgment, Shafiu’s legal counsel, S.A. Salihu, announced plans to appeal the decision. Meanwhile, Sunny Odeh, representing the 2nd and 3rd respondents, urged the petitioners to collaborate with Senator Mwadkwon for the progress of Plateau North and Nigeria at large.
Senator Pam Mwadkwon won the rerun election with a total of 122,442 votes.
SOURCE: ACE NEWS
