Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has been engaged in fresh battle with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state over the party’s governorship ticket for the November 2019 election.
The battle has taken the governor and other governorship aspirants in the state to the Federal High Court in Abuja over the endorsement of adoption of indirect primary election by the APC National Working Committee (NWC), Abuja. Governor Bello was alleged to have lobbied the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to prevail on the NWC members to endorse indirect primary election for the nomination of the APC candidate for the governorship election. Loyalists of Governor Bello were said to have gone into wild celebration the moment the decision on indirect primary was announced by the APC leadership in Abuja.
However, a faction of Kogi APC was said to be opposed to indirect primary election and agitating for direct primary election which the faction considers more transparent. The dispute led to litigation in court.
National Dailylearned that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday directed all parties in the suit protesting to prevent the APC NWC from adopting indirect primary election to nominate the party’s governorship candidate in Kogi State to maintain status quo, pending the hearing of the substantive suit.
The presiding judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in his judgement, held that in view of the urgency of the matter, it is important to give accelerated hearing to the suit, thereby, breaching the time for the respondent in the suit to respond within 10 days.
National Dailygathered that the Haddy Ametuo faction of APC in Kogi State filed a suit challenging the decision of the APC NWC to adopt indirect primary election to nominate the party’s candidate on August 29 for the November 16, 2019, governorship election.
The court adjourned to 19th of August for hearing of the substantive matter and all pending applications.