The Supreme Court on Monday struck out the petition of Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and its candidate, Musa Wada against Governor Yahaya Bello, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16 gubernatorial poll in Kogi.
Governor Bello’s victory had earlier been affirmed at the Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal on the grounds that Wada and his party failed to prove the allegations of electoral malpractices in their petition.
But Wada last Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to set aside the judgments of the tribunal and that of the court of Appeal and declare him the winner of the election or order a fresh poll.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji, the seven man panel of the apex court led by Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Tanko held that the appeal was devoid of merit.
The panel therefore ruled the petitioners failed to prove their allegations with results from the election and failed to prove that the respondent did not win majority votes in the election.
It also ruled that the petitioner failed to prove its claim of electoral malpractices by calling polling unit agents as witnesses.
Also, the Court has dismissed the petition filed by SDP and Natasha Akpoti against the ruling of the lower courts on her petition against the election of Yahaya Bello.
Details later…
