On Friday, the Federal High Court in Abuja threw out a suit filed by Mr. James Faleke, the former running mate of the late Mr. Abubakar Audu a candidate in the November 21st governorship election in Kogi State.
On Friday, the Federal High Court in Abuja threw out a suit filed by Mr. James Faleke, the former running mate of the late Mr. Abubakar Audu a candidate in the November 21st governorship election in Kogi State.
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Mr. Faleke’s suit called upon the court to make him the official gubernatorial candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr. Faleke argued that because he was the running mate of Mr. Audu he should be the flag bearer for the APC. However, the APC in Kogi State nominated Yahayah Bello to be their gubernatorial candidate. Justice Gabriel Kolawole, who delivered the judgement, stated that the Federal High Court had no jurisdiction in the inner workings of political Parties and, therefore, would not accept Mr. Faleke’s appeal.
The court also threw out the suit of the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Idris Wada. Mr. Wada was appealing the court’s ruling that INEC conduct a supplemental poll in Kogi State to determine a governor. The PDP candidate argued that since he received the second largest number of votes, after the late Mr. Audu, in the November 21st governorship elections he should be declared the Governor-elect.
The Federal High Court dismissed Mr. Wada’s appeal citing INEC’s ruling of the November 21st governorship elections as “inconclusive”. Throughout the court’s deliberations supporters of both Mr. Faleke and Mr. Wada filled the court, while several others protested outside the court.
In recent days protests erupted across Kogi State, on Thursday SaharaReporters published a report on a protest led by a mass of women, which took place outside the headquarters of INEC. At 2 am on Friday morning unidentified persons set fire to INEC offices in the Dekina Local Government Area (LGA).
The supplementary elections are scheduled for Saturday, December 5th, voting will take place at 19 LGAs across the State.