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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed confidence of getting victory at the Supreme Court, after an Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the tribunal, affirming Yahaya Bello as duly elected governor of Kogi state.
The PDP and three other parties had filed four appeals before the appellate court, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bello and the All Progressive Congress (APC) challenging the governor’s return as valid winner of the gubernatorial election that held in the state on November 16, 2019.
But in a separate but unanimous judgement on Saturday, the five-man panel of the court, led by Adamu Jauro, dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.
In a statement on Sunday, the PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan stated that the Appeal Court judgement in favour of Governor Bello does not vitiate or detract from the fact, “by hard evidence” that it won the November poll in Kogi.
Ologbondiyan said the party was shock that the appellate court, in its judgment, decided to discount the merit of the evidences before it, which, according to them, “showed that its candidate, Engr. Musa Wada scored the highest valid votes in the election.
He added that the judgement will be a major setback to the nation’s democratic process if left unchallenged.
The PDP spokesperson noted that the party was confident that justice will be served on the merit of the case by the apex court.
The statement further reads: “Our party holds that discounting of hard evidence of over-voting, massive thumb printing, voter intimidation, thuggery and other irregularities and malpractices used by the APC and compromised INEC officials to manipulate the results of the election would be reviewed at the Supreme Court.
“Justice on any matter is based on the weight of evidence before a court. The failure by the Appeal Court to consider key and essential ingredients of evidence before it on their merit, as already admitted and upheld by a judgment of a preceding court, amounted to a frustration of the course of justice in the matter.
“The PDP restates its insistence that the evidences are clear that its candidate is the genuine choice of the people in the November 16, 2019 election.
“The people of Kogi state now look up to the Supreme Court to reverse this injustice handed over to them, especially, given the evidence laid, as affirmed by the courageous verdict of Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele at the Election Tribunal.
“The PDP urged the people not to despair over the judgment of the Appeal Court but to remain calm and prayerful, as justice will definitely be served at the Supreme Court.”
