No Retreat, No Surrender : Wada Congratulates Kogites Vowed to Reclaim Stolen Mandate

Since 1999, the year 2019 general elections will eventually go down in history as the most controversial, the most intriguing and the most heart-rending.

 Judging by the unprecedented level of militarisation, the February 23, 2019 and March 9, 2019, November, 16 2019 in kogi tagged "helicopter election (s) have no doubt established unenviable record of greatest rate of voter-apathy, intimidation, political rascality, electoral recklessness, judicial indiscipline, bloodlettings and dashed hopes.

The Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Saturday in a split judgment upheld the election of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

The majority judgment delivered by Justice Kashim Kaigama upheld Bello’s election on the grounds that the petitioners failed to prove allegations of rigging and other malpractices in the November 16, 2019 governorship election.

Justice Kaigama accordingly dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his governorship candidate, Engineer Musa Wada, with a cost of N500,000 each in favour of the respondents.

However in a dissenting judgment, Justice Ohimai Obviagele held that there were evidence of massive fraud in seven local government areas and subsequently ordered for a rerun in the seven local government areas.

The November 16, 2019 Governorship election recorded a lot of unhappy moments, largely due to a number of avoidable fatalities that were, as usual, the devilish handiworks of desperate politicians and blood-thirsty hoodlums, as well as wicked security operatives who have insatiable delight in using election seasons as opportunity to perpetrate their dastardly acts against defenceless citizens.

The tribunal had no unanimous decision. It was a ratio of 2:1 decision and the minority judge nullified Bello election, ordered INEC to withdraw his return certificate till fresh election is conducted within Ninety, 90 days in the following 7 Local Goverment Areas

 1. Olamaboro,

2.  Kabba,

3. Ajaokuta, 

4.Lokoja, 

5.Okene, 

6.Okehi, 

7.Adavi LGA

The respondents in the petition – the Independent National Electoral Commission, Governor Yahaya Bello, and his party, the APC were represented by their lawyers, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), Joseph Daudu (SAN), and Ahmed Raji (SAN). They left the court unhappy with all their heads down. Because they know the implementation of that weighty minority judgement.  In the 14 reserved LGA, PDP is leading with 33,000 votes. 

"I want to congratulates Kogi people that their stolen mandate exemplified by the judgement number one (1) will be returned. This is just the beginning of the appeal. My countenance is not bothered at all. Wada said in an interview with Channel TV

" I am hoping that justice will be done. And I still believe Judiciary is the hope of the common man. So, I am appealing to my Kogi people who voted for me overwhelmingly that the battle has just started ": He added

- Inah Stephen, Lokoja