Court to decide 5 suits on Kogi supplementary polls today

A Federal High Court in Abuja would today deliver judgment in five consolidated suits on the Kogi State supplementary governorship election.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole, who had on Tuesday consolidated the suits, heard the arguments in support of the cases for the various parties yesterday.
The array of suits followed the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the November 21 governorship election inconclusive in 91 polling units of the 21 local government areas of the state.
Audu was leading the polls with 240, 867 as against 199,514 votes by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Governor Idris Wada.
In an originating summons filed by his counsel Chris Uche (SAN), Wada is asking the court to declare him the winner of the November 21 governorship election having scored the second highest valid votes cast or in the alternative to order nullify the entire election for fresh election.
Citing sections 31(1), (2), (3), 33, 34, 34 of the Electoral Act and sections 178, 179, 180 and 181 of the 1999 Constitution, he said the new APC candidate, Yahaya Bello did not fulfill the conditions to become governor, adding that there is no “provision where a candidate can emerge and inherit the votes of a deceased candidate.”
In the other suits filed by Hon. Emmanuel Daikwa, Hon. Raphael Igbokwe and Johnson Usman, which joined INEC, the Attorney General of the Federation and the APC, counsels in the suits urged the court to either nullify the entire elections for a fresh one or declare the PDP candidate winner having scored the highest valid votes.
However, the running mate to Audu, James Abiodun Faleke yesterday brought a fifth suit through his counsel Wole Olanipekun (SAN) asking the court to declare him the winner of the election.
Citing section 181 of the 1999 Constitution, Olanipekun argued that the ticket, which the deceased had was a joint ticket.