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Plateau LP Court Ruling: Gov’ship candidate, Margif heads to Appeal Court
The embattled governorship candidate of the Plateau State Labour Party (LP), Amb. Yohana Margif has expressed dissatisfaction with the court judgement that affirmed the candidacy of his rival, Dr. Patrick Dakum who is in a running battle with him over the party governorship ticket.
He said her lordship, Justice Dorcas Agishi of the federal High Court in Jos, did not dwell on his prayers to come about the judgement that affirmed Dakum.
Speaking with Journalists in Jos on Sunday evening, Margif, said he will be heading to the Appeal Court to contest the judgement of the federal High Court, saying he observed Agishi placed heavy reliance on issues that are entirely unrelated.
It would be recalled that a Federal High Court in Jos on Friday affirmed the candidacy of Patrick Dakum as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Plateau.
Also recall that the party had been in crisis following the emergence of two governorship candidates – Yohanna Margif and Patrick Dakum.
The two candidates had earlier contested and lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket.
Margif was however the first to move to the Labour Party to obtain the Party governorship ticket, while Dakum after a few months claimed a fresh primary election was conducted through affirmation, which made him the new governorship candidate of the Party.
The affirmation was expected to effectively void the earlier primary election that produced Yohanna Margif as candidate.
Dakum also alleged that Margif, who was the first to pick the ticket on June 9, 2022, had reportedly withdrawn from the race.
But Margif, who rejected claims that he had withdrawn from the race, approached the court to discountenance Dakum’s emergence as LP candidate.
He told the court that the said withdrawal letter was “fabricated by some mischief makers to cause havoc and mislead loyal members of the party”.
However, Justice Agishi, while delivering the judgement, stated that the court was convinced, based on evidence before it, that the plaintiff actually signed the letter of withdrawal.
Agishi said that evidence before the court also showed that Margif voluntarily withdrew from the race and was subsequently expelled from the party, following petitions against him.
Reacting, Margif said: “I observed that the Hon. Agishi placed heavy reliance on issues that are entirely unrelated to my lawsuit to arrive at the verdict of the Court in her judgement; Expulsion from the party, Failure to oppose the second primary election of the Party on 5th August 2022 and the Endorsement of the National Chairman and Secretary on a purported withdrawal letter dated 5th August 2022”, he said.
Margif said on the contrary his prayers to the court were: “He did not personally submit any letter of voluntary withdrawal from the governorship race in Plateau to the national Chairman and Secretary of the Party, that his lawyers delivered his letter to LP and INEC on 2nd August 2022 to debunk rumours that he had withdrawn from the governorship race in Plateau, that the purported letter of withdrawal that is said to have been endorsed by the two principal officers the Party does not bear the name and LP membership card number of Amb Yohana Margif, that as a candidate of LP, Margif emerged from a valid internal processes of the Party; from screening, primary election, issuance of certificate of return, filing of nomination papers with INEC, valid nomination of his running mate and the eventual publication of his name by INEC”, he said.
Margif assured that based on the above, he will escalate his prayers to the Appeal Court for redress.
News
BREAKING: INEC confirms contact details, begina recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Senate
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has confirmed that the representatives of the petitioners seeking to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District have now provided their contact details.
In a statement on Wednesday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said:
“The contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission.”
He added that INEC has formally notified the senator about the recall petition.
“As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address,” Olumekun stated.
He further explained that the same letter had been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission’s website.
Speaking on the next step, Olumekun said INEC would now verify the signatures to ensure that more than 50% of registered voters in Kogi Central signed the petition.
“This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission,” he said.
Olumekun reassured Nigerians that the recall process would be conducted in an open and transparent manner.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, has commended his principal for assenting to South West and South – South Development Commissions Bills as well as the Nigeria Anti – Doping Bill 2025.
Senator Lado who made the commendation in a personally signed statement, described presidential assets to the bills as monumental milestone and testament to visionary leadership and national progress.
The statement reads: “I extend my warmest congratulations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for yet another historic achievement his decisive and visionary assent to the South-West Development Commission Bill, the South-South Development Commission Bill, and the Nigeria Anti-Doping Bill, 2025.
“These landmark legislations are a clear reflection of President Tinubu’s relentless commitment to inclusive governance, equitable progress, and Nigeria’s emergence as a global powerhouse.
“His Excellency has once again demonstrated that leadership is not merely about policies—it is about impact, legacy, and a deep-rooted dedication to uplifting every citizen.
“By signing into law the establishment of the South-West and South-South Development Commissions, President Tinubu has reaffirmed his role as a transformational leader who prioritizes regional empowerment, economic expansion, and infrastructural excellence.
Building on the foundation of his earlier assent to the South-East and North -West Development Commissions, it is evident that President Tinubu is deliberate in bringing development across all regions.
“These commissions will serve as catalysts for industrial growth, job creation, and social advancement—ensuring that every corner of Nigeria benefits from his administration’s progressive vision. This is the mark of a true statesman—one who understands that a nation’s strength lies in its ability to uplift all regions without bias.
“In the same vein, the Nigeria Anti-Doping Bill, 2025 is yet another bold step that solidifies Nigeria’s commitment to fairness, excellence, and integrity in global sports.
“President Tinubu has once again positioned Nigeria as a nation of high ethical standards, ensuring that our athletes compete on the world stage with honor and credibility. By domesticating the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sports, his administration has safeguarded the future of Nigerian sports, protecting our athletes from unfair practices while reinforcing our global reputation as a country that upholds integrity.
“This momentous occasion underscores President Tinubu’s unmatched leadership—one that is proactive, decisive, and deeply attuned to the needs and aspirations of the Nigerian people.
His ability to enact groundbreaking policies that foster unity, drive economic prosperity, and elevate our international standing speaks volumes of his unwavering dedication to national transformation”.
News
BREAKING: Key contact details missing in petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has acknowledged receiving a petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District but noted that key contact details of the petitioners were missing.
In a press release signed by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission stated that the petition was submitted with six bags of documents containing signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.
However, the covering letter only provided a general location, “Okene, Kogi State,” without a specific address or multiple contact numbers as required by INEC’s regulations.
INEC emphasized that the recall process is guided by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and its 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.
The commission assured that once the petition meets all requirements, it will proceed with verifying the signatures using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in an open process involving petitioners, observers, and the media.
INEC is currently making efforts to reach the petitioners through other means and urged the public to disregard speculation on social media regarding the recall process.
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