Kogi supplementary election: The fate of Wada, Bello, Faleke rests on Justice Kolawole

The tussle for the Kogi governorship election between Governor Idris Wada, James Faleke and Yahaya Bello, will be determined on Friday, by the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

The court will rule whether or not, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should go ahead and conduct supplementary governorship election in the state on Saturday, December 5.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole, on Thursday, adjourned for judgement after all the parties, adopted their final written addresses on legal logjam that arose from the death of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  Prince Abubakar Audu.

 

The first suit was filed by the Deputy Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Party (APC), James Abiodun Faleke, who faulted the decision by INEC to declare the election inconclusive; asked the court to among others compel INEC to declare his joint ticket with the late Abubakar Audu, winner of the election and to restrain it (INEC) from proceeding with its planned supplementary election.

The second suit is by Governor Idris Wada and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his party where they want the court to compel INEC to declare Wada winner of the election, on the grounds that he is the only surviving candidate in the election who scored the second highest votes after the late Audu, the APC candidate.

The third suit was filed by Emanuel Daiko, who claimed to have contested the election as a candidate of the People for Democratic Change (PDC) and wants the court to among others hold the supplementary election is illegal, prevent APC from substituting its deceased candidate and to prevent APC from participating in the election on the grounds that it no longer has a candidate.

The fourth was filed by Raphael Igbokwe (a PDP member of the House of Representatives from Imo State) and Stephen Wada Omaye wants the court to annul the election and conduct a fresh one. It has INEC and APC as defendants.

The fifth suit was filed by a Johnson Jacob Usman (who claimed to be an indigene of the state, a registered voter and a lawyer). He seeks among others, to compel INEC to suspend all actions in relation to the election pending the determination of the suit and a declaration that the election ought to be cancelled. It has the AGF and INEC as defendants.

Justice Kolawole had on Tuesday, merged four separate suits challenging the legality of the scheduled supplementary election.

He based his decision on the need for the court to expeditiously determine the issues “so that INEC will not conduct the election under a grave shadow of doubt as to the legal or constitutional validity.”

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