The Kogi State Governorship Election
Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja has ruled
that the Peoples Democratic Party’s
candidate in the November 21 and
December , 2015 governorship election in
the state, Idris Wada, lacked locus standi
to question the nomination of his All
Progressives Congress counterpart, Yahaya
Bello.
The Justice Hamima Mohammed-led
tribunal made this pronouncement while
upholding the preliminary of objection filed
by Bello, the APC and the Independent
National Electoral Commission to
challenging Wada’s petition.
Meanwhile, the tribunal is still considering
the merit of the petition jointly filed by
Wada, his running mate, Sunday Awoniyi
and their party, the Peoples Democratic
Party.
Wada had in his petition before the tribunal
asked the tribunal to hold that he polled
the highest lawful votes in the November
21 poll and the December 5 supplementary
election and should be returned as the
Governor of the state.
Wada contended that Bello only polled
6,805 votes in the December 5
supplementary election and could not
possibly inherit the 240,867 votes polled by
the original candidate of the APC in the
November 21, 2015 election, the late
Prince Abubakar Audu.
He therefore asked the tribunal to hold
that having polled a total of 204,867 votes
in the November 21 and December 5
supplementary election, he was the validly
elected governor of the state.
But the tribunal ruled on the respondents’
preliminary objection the nomination and
sponsorship of Bello as the governorship
candidate of the APC was a domestic
affair of the party.
It ruled that neither the petitioners, the
tribunal nor any other person who did not
participate in the primary of the party, had
the legal capacity to inquire into the
nomination of the party’s candidate.
It also held that the lawfulness or validity
of votes as defined by the petitioners are
not consistent with judicial authorities.
Source: Punch ng
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