- Tribunal’s Judgement An Alarming Miscarriage Of Justice, Says PDP
- My Victory A Collective Will Of The People, Bello Affirms
Reactions have continued to trail the Kogi’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja which affirmed the election of incumbent Governor, Yahaya Bello. The People’s Democratic Party, PDP has labeled the ruling an alarming miscarriage of justice and a robbery of the Kogi people’s mandate.
In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, he said the people of Kogi state deserve a government elected by them and not one imposed by the enemies of democracy and compromised officials at Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“The judgment of the Election Tribunal is an alarming miscarriage of justice, particularly as the PDP and its candidate, Engr. Musa Wada, laid incontrovertible proofs of electoral manipulations by Governor Yahaya Bello before the tribunal.
We are shocked that despite the overwhelming evidence before the tribunal, proving that Governor Yahaya Bello did not win the election, justice was thwarted to the disappointment of the people of Kogi state and generality of Nigerians.
Our party was able to lay incontestable evidence of over-voting, massive thumb printing, voter intimidation, thuggery, violence and other malpractices used by the All Progressives Congress, APC and compromised INEC officials to rob our candidate and the people of Kogi state of their mandate
The people of Kogi state now look up to the Appeal Court to reverse this injustice endorsed by the tribunal, our party is confident that the Appeal Court will address the substance of the case, which the tribunal overlooked in rendering its defective judgment” he said.
On his part, the Governor while hailing the court for the ruling noted that with the majority ruling of the Tribunal dismissing the petition of PDP’s candidate, Wada.
“The rule of law once again came to the defence of democracy by affirming the collective will of the people which was expressed on the 16th of November, 2019 when a vast, compelling majority of the electorate cast their votes for me to serve them for a second term,” he said.
Describing the judgment as most comprehensive of outstanding thoroughness, reason, and stretch on the many issues presented before the tribunal, Bello noted that the judiciary remains the last hope of common man.
Recall that the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Saturday affirmed the election of incumbent Governor, Bello amid dissension from one of the three justices, Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele who nullified the election.
In the dissenting judgment, Ovbiagele nullified the election of Bello and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to conduct fresh elections in seven local government areas where the petitioners proved their allegations of over-voting, thuggery, voter intimidation, massive thumb printing, and other electoral malpractices.
However, while delivering the judgment on Saturday, the court, led by Kashim Kaigama, held that the petitioner failed to prove the allegations of over-voting, massive thumb printing, voter intimidation, and other electoral malpractices thereby on behalf of the three-man panel of Justices, consequently dismissed the petition by Engr Wada and the PDP.
The tribunal also awarded the cost of One Million Naira to be paid by the petitioners, PDP and Wada to INEC, Yahaya Bello, and APC who are the respondents.
