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Tribunal cancels Kogi State guber elections-PM News

October 9, 2007

The Kogi State Election Petitions Tribunal has nullified the April 2007 gubernatorial election in the state and ordered a fresh poll. Giving its ruling this morning the Justice Bako Maikeita-led Tribunal granted the prayers of the All Nigeria Peoples Party candidate and former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu that the election should be annulled because he was wrongly excluded from taking part by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).


During the tribunal sitting the INEC resident electoral commissioner in Kogi State disclosed that it heeded instruction handed down by the national headquarters of INEC in blotting out Prince Audu’s name from the ballot paper on election day.

The tribunal ruled, however, that the INEC erred in stopping Audu from standing election, affirming that INEC has no power to take action on the report of any organisation be it, the EFCC, ICPC or any other organisation which indicted Prince Audu.

P.M.News gathered that on the election day, Audu’s supporters were taken aback when they discovered that his name on the ballot paper had been cancelled with a pen by election organisers. It led to blood-letting and destruction of property especially in Kogi East, where Audu has considerable support base.

Audu had dragged INEC and 57 others to court seeking justice in the matter. The 57 persons so sued were electoral officers in the 27 local governments of the state.

Meanwhile, the Tribunal ruling is generating tension in the state capital, Lokoja. To forestall a breakdown of law and order, policemen were seen this afternoon driving armoured tanks on the streets of the state capital,Lokoja.

The incumbent governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris was away on lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia when the ruling was handed down. But a top aide of the governor vowed that the ruling will be appealed when the governor returns from Mecca.


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