Politics
Gov Bello also floors Wada at Tribunal
Still elated with his victory over James Faleke at the Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, has also floored former Governor Idris Wada at the tribunal.
The Kogi Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Tuesday ruled that like Faleke, Wada lacked the locus standi to question the nomination of his opponent who represented the APC, in that election.
The Justice Hamima Mohammed-led tribunal ruled that the nomination and sponsorship of Bello as the governorship candidate of the APC was a domestic affair of the party.
Read also: Gov Bello says he holds no grudge against Faleke
The tribunal made the pronouncement while upholding the preliminary objection filed by Bello, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission challenging Wada’s petition.
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.
As at the time of this report, the tribunal is still considering the merit of the petition jointly filed by Wada, his running mate, Sunday Awoniyi and their party, the PDP.
Wada had prayed the tribunal to hold that he polled the highest lawful votes in the November 21 governorship election held in that state, as well as the December 5 supplementary election and should be declared the winner.
He argued 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.
However, the tribunal ruled that the lawfulness or validity of votes as defined by the petitioners are not consistent with judicial authorities.
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