News reaching the ViewPointNigeria news desk indicates that just a few days after the inauguration of the National Assembly, Nde Alexander Mwolwus (an aspirant of the Plateau Central Senatorial seat Under the PDP) has lodged instituted another suit against chief Joshua Dariye (winner of the seat), at the Jos Federal High Court.

In his suit, Mwolwus alleges that the name of senator Joshua Dariye was smuggled into the list of people billed to contest, as he was not a bonafide member of PDP at the time.

In his argument, Molwus averred that Dariye had never been a card-carrying member of the PDP.

When the case came up for mention, the counsels to the defendants (PDP and Dariye), J. Appollos and S. Pwul, urged the court to grant them time to file a further and better affidavit.

However, the judge, Justice Ambrose Allagoa, was critical about the adjournment being sought by the counsels, reminding them that the issue at stake is a pre–election matter, where time is of the essence. He nonetheless considered the request and granted it by adjourning the matter for continuation of hearing.

Shedding more light on the matter after the day’s proceedings, counsel to Molwus, Mr. Tob Kekemeke, said Dariye contested the PDP primaries and won the contest.

It will be recalled that Senator Dariye contested the Plateau Central Senatorial seat in 2011 under the LP platform and won. After serving his four years tenure as an LP senator, the national body of the PDP issued him a waiver to enable him return back to the party.

It will also be recalled that “Nde Molwus Alexander also contested the seat, and came runner up to Dariye. Molwus’ main argument is that going by PDP’s guidelines, anybody whose name is not on the party’s register cannot contest the election. He argues that at the time the primary election took place, Dariye’s name was not in the party register of the PDP and so he was not qualified to contest the election,” Kekemeke explained.

Further explaining, he posited that “the law says if a party guideline stipulates something in conducting elections, and the party breaches its own guidelines. Any aggrieved person can go to court. That is why we are in court”.

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Mwolwus presses on with suit against Dariye’s election