Kogi gov’ship: Why Supreme Court upheld Bello’s election

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State in the November 16, 2019 governorship election.

A seven-member panel of justices on Monday unanimously dismissed the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Musa Wada, for being unmeritorious.

The main judgment read by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji said that Grounds 1, 2, 3 of the appeal hinged on alleged over voting, card reader malfunction and electoral violence were not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

The Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal which sat in Abuja had in July dismissed the petition, while the Court of Appeal in Abuja on August 4 also affirmed the majority judgement of the tribunal.

The panel also dismissed the appeal by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Natasha Akpoti, challenging the outcome of the election.

Akpoti had alleged that Governor Bello and his deputy, Edward Onoja, made false information of a substantial nature, and therefore his certificate of return was unlawful, null and void ab initio.

But the panel ruled that the appellants didn’t field particulars or led evidence of forgery or the exclusion of their votes as they did not tender any ballot paper used for the election.

The panel held that the applicants could not prove whether acts of corruption were done with the connivance of the governor, or whether the actions were of substantial nature as to influence the outcome of the election.

Meanwhile, the immediate past member representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency at the lower chamber of the National Assembly, Alhaji Abdulkarim Usman Isah (Wambai), has congratulated Governor Bello and his deputy, Chief Edward David Onoja, on their victory at the Supreme Court.

Wambai, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, described the victory of Governor Bello and his deputy at the apex court as well deserved.

The APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, in a statement, hailed the Supreme Court for defending the votes and mandate that the good people of Kogi State gave Governor Bello to lead them for another four years.

But PDP, while reacting, expressed shock over the judgment of the Supreme Court on the 2019 Kogi state governorship election.

It said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, that the judgment fell short of expectations of the majority of the people of Kogi state.