The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal has removed Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State.

The court upheld the findings of the Plateau State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a new certificate of return to Nentawe Goshwe of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Muftwang was sponsored in the March 18 governorship election in the state by the PDP and he was declared winner of the contest with 525,299 votes while got 481,400 votes.

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The APC candidate filed a petition against the declaration on the alleged premise that the PDP did not properly nominate the governor and there was non-compliance with the Electoral Act during the election.

The tribunal panel pronounced that the petition was unmeritorious and subsequently dismissed same. Dissatisfied again, Goshwe appealed the lower court’s judgement at the Court of Appeal.

Ruling on the petition today, Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, the lead judge, faulted the nomination of Muftwang by the PDP. She added that the party did not comply with a subsisting High Court judgement directing it to organise a valid congress in the state before the election.

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The judge particularly held that the issue of qualification to participate in an election is both a pre-election and post-election matter. This is contrary to the position of the lower court.