Election Petitions: PEGGA Commends Cleric’s Intervention Over Concerns

A pro-democracy group, Peace and Good Governance Advocates (PEGGA) has commended Christian and Muslim clerics on the plateau for their bold decision to join forces against alleged plots to cause mayhem in the state using contradictory judgments of the election petitions at the tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

PEGGA made its reaction after the Plateau State Christian and Muslim Inter-Faith group chided those it termed as “desperate politicians,” for trying to ignite a fresh crisis in the State.

The inter-faith group jointly led by Evangelist Joshua Ringsum and Imam Othman Abdullahi called on the National Judicial Council and other stakeholders to monitor the activities of election petition tribunals and appeal courts which it alleged were giving contradictory judgments.

Querying the contradictory judgments on the plateau, the Christian and Muslim clerics had called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to “give special focus on panels handling Plateau petitions to avoid the unnecessary tension in the State on account of contradictory and conflicting judgments dispensed to erode the popular mandate of the people through technicalities.”

Amplifying the call by the clerics, PEGGA in a statement issued by its national coordinator, Mani Imman said:

“We find it gladdening that otherwise competing faith leaders have come together to speak against the threats to peace on the plateau on account of the contradictory judgments coming out from the tribunals and the appeal courts.

“We particularly laud the clerics for not giving themselves as advocates of the political parties or cowing to the rascality that we see coming out from the judiciary.

“We call on the clerics to remain steadfast and as leaders of faith to also add prayers to their supplication against the threats to peace on the plateau.”

“As the clerics observed in their joint press conference on Saturday, using the judiciary to truncate the popular will of the people will reverse the gains of the peace efforts being achieved by the Federal and Plateau State Governments.

“It is on this note that we reiterate the call to the National Judicial Council, NJC to rein in judicial officers from truncating the will of the people for selfish goals.”