PLATEAU: WE DID NOT CONDUCT WARD CONGRESSES IN PDP BEFORE THE STATE CONGRESS—HON. JOSHUA UBANDOMA TELLS TRIBUNAL

By: Valentine Adese (JP),

The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not conduct Ward Congresses before its Repeated State Congress on the 25^th September, 2021.

The National/State Houses of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Jos, Plateau State, yesterday, was told, when the panel hearing Petition No: EPT/PL/SEN/02/2023, filed by the former governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, who is challenging the conduct of the Senatorial election for Plateau South Senatorial District was been heard.

The witness of the 3^rd Respondent (PDP) in the Petition, the former Chairman of Langtang North, Hon. Joshua Ubandoma, told the Tribunal during Cross-Examination by the Counsel to the Petitioners, E. G. Pwajok (SAN), who was leading S. S. Obende (Esq) and other Senior Lawyers.

He said, “This is because, the EXCOs at the Ward levels were qualified and were already on ground. The delegates that elected, Sen. Napoleon Bali at the Primary, were the 3 adhoc delegates. More so, the National office conducted elections for the 3 adhoc delegates”.

However, earlier, during Examination in Chief and Cross-Examinations by the 1^st and 2^nd Respondents respectively, Hon. Joshua said in part, told the Tribunal that, he is a business man and a politician and that he lives in Langtang North LGA of Plateau State, while adding that, he made a statement on oath before the Tribunal and can identifying it through his signature, which he later adopted.

He said he voted on the 25^th of February during the Senatorial election for Plateau South District and that, before he voted he was accredited by INEC Official.

Adding that, “I am aware of the emergence of Napoleon Bali as the winner of the Plateau South Senatorial election.

“Before his emergence, PDP conducted primary election and forwarded his name and those of other candidates to INEC and nobody challenged the publication of his name or the outcome of the primary election. Every member, congratulated him.

Exhibits P1-P10 (A & B) shown to me are all Court Judgments. I can confirm. 2R1 (A&B) is the repeated congress report prepared and issued by INEC. The Congress was held on the 25^th of September, 2021 and nobody has challenged the conduct of this congress in any court to the best of my knowledge.

“I confirm that the Courts have confirmed that the PDP has since complied with the Judgment of the Plateau State High Court and the Orders therein.

“I am aware of Judgment in exhibit 2R11(A&B) because I was the 1^st Defendant. The Judgment confirms and affirmed that, the Ward Congress in Langtang has no problem. No appeal has been filed on that decision to date.

“The Court held that, the issues of how we select officials of the party are our internal affairs.

The name of the 2^nd Respondent of the list published by INEC is on serial No: 28 of the document.

“Exhibit 1R1 is the report of INEC of the Repeated Congress. 1R2, is the final collation of results from the election, while 1R3, is the final capture and declared result for the election and it was signed by the agents of the Petitioners and that of the PDP”.

But, the former PDP Chairman of Langtang North Local Government Council (LGC) Hon. Joshua L. Ubandoma, under Cross Examination by, E. G. Pwajok (SAN), affirmed the superiority of the PDP Constitution and also told the Tribunal that, “The party’s Constitution is the Supreme document binding all organs of the party”.

In part he said, “I have seen Article 16 of the PDP’s Constitution, which is exhibit P75. Delegates to the Ward Congresses voted in the Ward Primary to elect. But, the decision of the party not to conduct Ward Congresses is right.

“This is because the EXCOs at the Ward levels were qualified and were already on ground. The delegates that elected, Sen. Napoleon Bali at the Primary, were the 3 adhoc delegates. More so, the National office conducted elections for the 3 adhoc delegates.

“Before the State Congress of 2021, there were other Congresses that the PDP conducted, like the Ward Congresses to elect delegates for the Repeated State Congress. This does not involve the Wards because, we already have existing EXCOs at the Ward level. I stated this in my deposition on oath before the Tribunal.

“However, there is no word as, REPEAT CONGRESS in the Judgment of the Plateau State High Court, especially, the 4^th Order”.

Explaining further under the same Cross-Examination from Pwajok (SAN), Hon. Joshua told the Tribunal that, INEC’s document cannot be an incomplete report/document.

He said, “INEC’s Report on the Repeated Congress cannot be an incomplete report. I was there, but I did not vote because I am not a delegate.

“There is no list of delegate in the document. This is because the list will come from the PDP because it is a party thing.

“There was a Legal Action aimed at stopping the Repeated State Congress on the 23^rd of August by some Ward members of the party. They brought a Court Order of Interlocutory Injunction to restrain the Chairman, Mr. Tunde Ogbeha and to stop the Congress.

“You were a member of the PDP and our Counsel (Pwajok SAN) then. You did ask us to comply”.