Gombe PDP wants court to disqualify Gov Yahaya, deputy from contesting 2023 polls

The PDP in Gombe State, on Wednesday, petitioned the Federal High Court in Abuja to prevent Governor Inuwa Yahaya and his deputy, Jatau Daniel, from running in the governorship race in 2023,

The party and its governorship candidate, Muhammad Barde, requested the disqualification in a lawsuit filed by the PDP and two other parties against the INEC and other parties with case number FJC/ABJ/CS/1301/2022.

Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Arthur Okafor and J.J. Usman, filed an Originating Summons on behalf of the plaintiffs, citing a number of Supreme Court rulings in their arguments.

According to the PDP, Yahaya and Jatau submitted FORMS EC-9, and as those forms served as certificates, allegedly making fraudulent statements in them amounted to submitting forgeries.

In the court processes, the plaintiffs alleged that Jatau bears multiple names in his certificates for Certificate of Primary Education (Manassah Jatau).

“West African Examination Council School Certificate (Daniel Manassah J); University of Maiduguri Certificate (Manassah Daniel Jatau) and National Youth Service Corp Certificate (Daniel Manassah), without a deed poll and any valid change of name attached to his Form EC-9 submitted to INEC,” the PDP claimed.

The Plaintiffs further claimed that Yahaya submitted Form EC-9 in 2022. (Affidavit of Personal particulars of Person seeking election into the office of governor of Gombe state).

According to the plaintiffs, Yahaya claimed in the form that he worked for A.Y.U & Co. Ltd. between 1985 and 2003 and the Bauchi State Investment Company Ltd. in 1984, contrary to what he claimed in his deposition in 2018 that he did.

“That Yahaya in 2018 while presenting his personal particulars to INEC to participate in the Gombe state governorship election, stated in his INEC FORM CF001 that he worked with A.Y.U & Co. Ltd. from 1980 to 1990.

That, however, in 2022, the same Inuwa stated in his INEC FORM EC-9 that he worked with A.Y.U. & Co Ltd from 1985 – 2003.

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“The governor by his INEC FORM CF001 has stated under oath that in 1980 -1990, he worked with A.Y.U. & Co Ltd.

“However, in 2022, the same Inuwa stated again on oath via his INEC FORM EC-9 that he worked with the same A.Y.U. & Co. Ltd from 1985 – 2003.”

According to the plaintiffs, Yahaya’s deputy attached his Certificate of National Youth Service Corps dated July 31, 1980, which stated thus:

“This is to certify that Daniel Manassah NYSC/Mad/79/6201 has satisfactorily completed one year of the National Service from Aug. 1, 1979, to July 31, 1979, in accordance with section 11 of the National Youth Service Corps decree No. 24 of 1973”

The PDP argued that FORM EC-9 being an affidavit on oath, both Yahaya and his deputy, made false statements therein, had committed forgery, and therefore not qualified to contest the state election.

No date has been fixed for a hearing in the suit.

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