PLATEAU LP: AMB. MARGIF vs DR. DAKUM: YOUR REPLY IS FILLED WITH LOTS OF CONTRADICTIONS AND INCONSISTENCIES. MARGIF REPLIES DR. DAKUM

By: Valentine Adese (JP),

The quest to establish legitimacy of the governorship candidature of the Labour Party (LP) in Plateau State is taking another dramatic turn in the Federal High Court (FHC), as Amb. Y. Margif in his “Further and Better Affidavit” has told the Federal High Court that, the reply of Dr.  Patrick Dakum and other Defendants to his Suit, No: FHC/J/CS/76/2022 is loaded with lots of “Contradictions and Inconsistencies”.

You would recall that, the Counter-Affidavit of the 1^st and 2^nd Defendant deposed to by one Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the National Secretary to the 1^st Defendant, to the Originating Summons filed by Amb. Margif, had told the Court that, owing to his position, he is conversant with the facts in the case.

He had deposed to the fact that, the Plaintiff, Amb. Margif,  is not the governorship candidate of the party for Plateau state in the general election coming up in 2023, but Dr. Patrick Dakum.

That, the Plaintiff is no longer a member of the party as he has been expelled from the State and Federal Wards of Margif/Kopmur and Mushere West respectively and that this was endorsed by the party at the Local Government (Bokkos LGA) due to conducts not acceptable to the party.

Adding that, “the the 3^rd Defendant (INEC) duly acknowledged receipt of the letter of withdrawal which was accompanied with 1^st Defendant’s (LP) letter, forwarding same on 2^nd August, 2022.

“That, the 1^st Defendant’s conveyance of Notice of Withdrawal of the Plaintiff’s candidature for governorship of Plateau State included other states of the Nigerian federation…

“That INEC ordered us to come and sign its withdrawal Form ECC11B before it, to be sure the withdrawal is true. We went and signed same with the Plaintiff and Dr. Patrick Dakum”.

However, in a swift, Further and Better Affidavit filed by Margif, through his Counsel, M. B. Abdullahi (Esq), the Plaintiff has pointed out lots of Contradictions and Inconsistencies of the 1^st and 2^nd Defendants’ reply to his Originating Summons and claims.

First, in the document sighted by REALITY, Margif has stated that, his name is never Yohana Yilwan Margif as stated in the purported voluntary withdrawal letter, but Amb. Yohana Yilpwan Margif.

Adding that, his membership number of the Labour Party (LP) is 31980 and not 0471 as falsely presented to the Court by the Defendants.

Amb. Margif, through his Counsel, M. B. Abdullahi (Esq), also drew the attention of the Court to the fact that, the date stated on his purported letter of withdrawal is 5/08/2022, but in there reply to his Originating Summons as filed before the Court, the Defendants contradicted themselves by further stating that, it was on the 2/08/2022.

From the Further and Better Affidavit sighted by REALITY, attached is an Affidavit, deposed to by one Jacob Bulus Diyishum, who claims to be the Chairman of LP of Margif/Kopmur Ward. In his deposition, Chairman Jacob stated that, “I have never in anywhere or any meeting discussed any matter regarding the candidature of Chief Amb. Yohana Yilpwan Margif, who is the flag bearer of the party (LP).

In the Disclaimer published and copied to Labour Party Local Government office Bokkos, the State and National, INEC, Law Enforcement Agencies and the Media Houses in the state, Jacob stated that, “The general public should disregard the said publication in the interest of peace in the party and of democracy”.

In the Affidavit, Margif questioned why Dr. Dakum is not displaying his INEC Form of replacement, but rather that of the party to date.

In a letter of reply from the office of the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, which served as a response to the request of the Counsel to the Plaintiff, Abdullahi (Esq), for the “Verification of an Affidavit sworn to on the 5^th August, 2022, bearing the name of Yohana Yilwan Margif”, dated 18^th August, 2022, one Vincent Ifeachor, who signed for the Chief Registrar, stated in part as follows:

“I write to inform you that a careful investigation conducted by the Court in respect of the attached copy of Letter of Voluntary Withdrawal bearing the name of Yohana Yilwan Margif, dated 5^th of August, 2022 reveals that, the document was not sworn to before a Commissioner for Oath in this Court because there is no name of the Commissioner for Oath on the said document and also there is no Revenue receipt number”.

TO BE CONTINUED…