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The Kogi State Governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Yahaya Bello as the validly elected governor of the state.
Musa Wada and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP had filed a petition before the tribunal challenging the re-election of Bello and the All Progressives Congress, APC in the November 16 governorship election.
The petitioners’ lawyer, Jibril Okutepa, had in the petition argued that his clients won the majority of lawful votes cast in the election and urged the tribunal to uphold the petition and declare Mr Wada as the duly elected governor of Kogi state.
32 witnesses were brought by the petitioners before the tribunal to prove their claim that the election was marred by irregularities, violence, ballot snatching and non-compliance with the electoral act and the constitution.
But Joseph Daudu, counsel to Bello and the APC, having presented only one witness, argued that the petitioners were unable to prove their claims, and urged the court to dismiss the petition.
With a majority judgment of two-to-one, the tribunal upheld Bello as duly elected governor of the state.
Delivering the judgement on Saturday, Justice Kashim Kaigama, who headed the three-man panel of judges, and another member, Justice Baraka Wali, held that the petitioners failed to prove any of the grounds of their petition.
But dissenting, Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele, in his minority judgement, nullified the election of Mr Bello and ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections in 7 local government areas where the petitioners proved their allegations of over voting, thuggery, voter intimidation, massive thumb printing and other electoral malpractices.
The tribunal also awarded the cost of N500,000 against the petitioners in favour of the respondents.
