Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate for the governorship position in Plateau State, concluded his case at the State Election Petition Tribunal against Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the first respondent in Dr Nentawe’s case, is scheduled to begin its defence today (Monday).

The APC candidate has raised three grounds for challenging Mutfwang’s victory. Firstly, he argues that the PDP lacks the necessary structure to field a candidate for the governorship election. Secondly, he alleges that INEC failed to adhere to the Electoral Act and guidelines during the election. Lastly, he contests the exclusion of 14 polling units from Naraguta B Ward in Jos North LGA. Dr Nentawe spent three weeks presenting his case before the state election tribunal.

During the proceedings, an expert witness named Nentawe Yusuf, from the University of Jos (Unijos), testified and submitted a report of approximately 200 pages on the 2023 governorship election in Plateau State. Following the presentation of evidence, Dr Nentawe closed his case on Friday.

Yakubu Ruba, the petitioner’s lead counsel, applied to submit the documents despite objections from the third respondent. He noted that the star witness underwent rigorous cross-examination by the first, second, and third respondents, which are INEC, Mutfwang, and PDP, respectively. The witness positively identified the documents presented by the petitioner’s lead counsel.