Court affirms Governor Wada’s election

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja

A Federal High Court in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja on Wednesday affirmed the victory of Capt. Idris Wada of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, as the governor of Kogi state, North -Central Nigeria, after it dismissed a suit instituted by a chieftain of the party, Jibrin Isah Echocho seeking to invalidate the election.

Echocho had sought to upturn the victory of Wada on ground that he was the winner of the first primary election conducted by the PDP and his name submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. He also claimed that he never withdrew his candidacy before another primary was conducted.

The court presided over by Justice Abdul Kafarati, held that the subject matter of Echocho’s suit was the December 3, 2011 governorship election in Kogi state and that issues to be determined was whether the court has jurisdiction to entertain the suit as well as whether the Echocho has locus to institute the suit having not participated in the said election.

The court maintained that Echocho instituted the suit more than two months after the election was conducted and concluded with the governor inaugurated. On this score, the court held that the matter had become a post election matter which can only be determined by an election petition tribunal.

The court on that ground declined jurisdiction to entertain the suit and directed parties in the matter to the Kogi state governorship election petition tribunal.

Furthermore,the court held that Echocho does have the locus to institute an action to challenge the said election because he never participated in it and subsequently dismissed it as being an abuse of court process and awarded the cost of N100,000 against Echocho.

Prior to Wada’s emergence as the party’s flag bearer for the 3rd December, 2011 election, Echocho had been the party’s governorship having emerged from the January 9, 2011 governorship primaries conducted by the party in the state.

It would be recalled that the Kogi state governorship election petition tribunal had recently upheld Wada’s victory in the said election.
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