Supreme Court Set To Deliver Judgement In Kogi Governorship Appeal

The Supreme Court will on Monday, deliver judgement in the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, and its candidate in the Kogi Governorship Election, Musa Wada, challenging the election and victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Yahaya Bello as the Governor of Kogi State.

Last week, A seven-man panel of the Supreme Court presided by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammed heard the appeal filed by Mr Wada and fixed August 31 to deliver judgement.

Mr Wada who lost his appeal at the Election Petition Tribunal claimed that the Kogi election held on November 16, 2019, was riddled with serious electoral infractions, when he approached the Supreme Court after his petition was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on July 4th, 2020 with a split decision of two to one.

A five-man panel of justices of the appeal court upheld Governor Bello’s election and ordered Mr Wada to pay a sum of N100,000 each to Governor Bello, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and INEC, who were listed as respondents in the appeal.

The apex court will also give a verdict in the appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party and its candidate, Natasha Akpoti.

Lawyer to Governor Bello, Joseph Daudu, and that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Alex Izinyon, urged the court to dismiss the appeal filed by Mr Wada through his lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, for lacking in merit.

Mr Daudu asked the apex Court to toe the line of the Court of Appeal and the election petition tribunal which gave concurrent decisions by dismissing Mr Wada’s petition.

Meanwhile, the second appeal filed by the SDP and its candidate asked the apex Court to set aside the findings of the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal and allow their appeal to succeed.

The Appeal Court had held that Akpoti could not prove the allegations of corruption and voter intimidation against Governor Bello.

On November 18, 2019, INEC returned Bello as the duly elected governor having scored the highest number of votes in the keenly contested poll.

He polled a total of 406,222 votes to beat his closest rival, Wada who scored 189,704 votes and Akpoti who garnered a total of 9,482 votes.

Comments

937 People Killed In Attacks In Kaduna In 2020

At least 937 people died in violent attacks and mass atrocities in Kaduna State last year, an annual security report by the state government has shown. The report released Wednesday attributed the deaths to kidnappings, banditry and other criminal activities that cut “across all ethnic and religious groups” in Kaduna State. “Victims of criminal acts like banditry and kidnapping are to be found across ethnic, religious or political leanings and persuasions,’’ Samuel Aruwan, the state’s commissioner for internal security and home affairs, said while presenting the report. In his presentation, Mr Aruwan said that of the 937 killed, Igabi Local Government Area recorded the highest number of casualties (152), followed by Kajuru Local Government Area with 144 casualties. He added that Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa and Chikun local governments in Kaduna central accounted for about 50 per cent (or 468 deaths) of the entire fatalities in the state. Meanwhile, 286 died in Kaduna South from the viole...

Buhari Refuses To Act On Magu’s Probe Report Five Months After Submission.

President muhammedu Buhari Refuses To Act On Magu’s Probe Report Five Months After Submission One of Magu’s lawyers, Tosin Ojaomo, said Magu remained in the service of the Nigeria Police Force though the police has yet to post him anywhere after his suspension as EFCC chairman. Ibrahim Magu’s fate remains uncertain five months after the submission of the report of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the former acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to President Muhammadu Buhari. There have been concerns about the fate of Magu after the appointment and confirmation of Abdulrasheed Bawa as the new Executive Chairman of EFCC in February. Although sources in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said the panel faulted some procedures in the management of recovered assets under Magu, the presidential white paper on the report had yet to be announced. One of Magu’s lawyers, Tosin Ojaomo, s...

Air Force bombs wedding guests in Niger State

A Nigerian Air Force Alpha Jet has shelled a wedding venue, killing some wedding guests at a remote community in Niger State. The airstrikes were targeting bandits and insurgents in the area. The airstrike in which some armed bandits and cattle rustlers were killed took place at Genu town in Niger State, it was reported on Saturday, adding that “ One of the bombs allegedly strayed at a wedding party in an adjoining village .” “ We saw the small aircraft dropping bombs from afar on the location of fleeing bandits and one of the explosives hit a wedding event in Argida Village. Two villagers were also killed, unfortunately. We gathered that several others, who were guests at the wedding feast, sustain injuries,” A witness narrated In April, the Air Force in an airstrike killed some Nigerian soldiers, mistaking them for insurgents.

ExtMedia

Search This Blog