Opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) loses Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency seat, as Muhammad Adam Alkali of the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP) is sworn in as new lawmaker
Constituents of Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency in Plateau State got a new lawmaker on Monday as Muhammad Adam Alkali of the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP) was sworn in at the House of Representatives.
Presidential candidate of the PRP, Kola Abiola, was on hand to witness the proceedings from the gallery of the temporary chamber.
Rep. Alkali was returned elected as winner of the February 26 2022, bye-election held to replace Haruna Maitala, who died in April 2021. The Court of Appeal declared him the winner of the election on 28th October 2022 after nullifying the purported win of Musa Agah of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
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The Appeal Court presided over by three Justices headed by Justice Teni Hassan, in affirming the judgement of the National and States Assembly Election Petition Trial Tribunal, which sat in High Court 4, Jos ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Agah of the PDP and issue the same to the PRP lawmaker as the legally elected candidate for the election.
On Friday, September 2 2022, the tribunal held that the PDP candidate was not validly nominated by his party, having a subsisting judgment of a High Court “that the PDP had no valid structure in Plateau State to nominate a candidate.”
The tribunal also ruled that there was over-voting in the results declared by INEC that announced Agah as the winner of the bye-election. The Appellate Court however, ruled that the claim of over-voting during the election could not be substantiated.