UPP tells tribunal it didn’t field candidate for Plateau North

Kingsley Chukwuka, Jos

The United Progressive Party (UPP) has informed the National Assembly Petitions Tribunal sitting in Jos, the Plateau state capital that the party did not field any candidate for the Plateau North Senatorial District during the 2019 general elections.

Rather, the UPP confirmed forwarding the name of Inuwa Sanusi as its candidate for Plateau South Senatorial District in the election held on February 23, 2019.

The party made this disclosure through its National Secretary, Alh Sadeeq Masalla, who testified that it forwarded the name of Inuwa Sanusi as its candidate for the senatorial election for Plateau South.

It would be recalled that Sanusi Inuwa had petitioned the election tribunal alleging that the logo of his party, the UPP was wrongly excluded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the senatorial election for Plateau North and is therefore, asking the tribunal to cancel the victory of Senator I.D. Gyang, who won the election and conduct a fresh poll.

However, Sen. Gyang and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are the respondents in the suit submitted that Inuwa Sanusi couldn’t have contested the election for Plateau North Senatorial District as his party the UPP fielded him as their candidate for Plateau South Senatorial District as evidenced by form CF200 which it rightly submitted to INEC.

Consequently, Masalla in his witness statement and testimony told the tribunal that together with the national chairman of the UPP, they signed and endorsed the appropriate INEC Form CF002 and forwarded same to INEC.

He confirmed to the tribunal that the forms were filled by all their candidates across the nation while the party’s national chairman and national secretary only endorsed same after which the forms were forwarded to INEC including that of Inuwa Sanusi.

Under cross examination, Sanusi made frantic effort to disown the form in contention, but a certified true copy of the form from INEC was however, tendered in evidence before the tribunal.

INEC’s representative in testifying before the tribunal confirmed that form CF200 was the certified true copy from INEC.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice T. N Nzeogwu however, adjourned the case for further hearing.