Gov Yahaya Bello in fresh trouble, faces renewed legal fireworks

Governor Yahaya Bello may have another hurdle to cross in sustaining his second term election victory, even though the Tribunal narrowly upheld the Kogi governorship election result in two to one split judgements in his favour. The likely window that would sealed the legal contest of the Kogi State governorship election won by Governor Bello which was the legal challenge of the authenticity of the candidacy Musa Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appeared shut when the Supreme Court on Friday  affirmed Musa Wada as the PDP candidate in the November 2019 governorship election in Kogi State. Apparently, the Supreme Court judgement emboldened Wada to pursue his case against Governor Bello which the governor narrowly escaped at the Kogi State Governorship election tribunal which sat in Abuja where two judges at the panel upheld the election of the Kogi governor while a judge in a dissenting judgement nullified the election result, ordering INEC to conduct fresh election within 90 days.

Musa Wada now has the green light to proceed with the legal tussle against Governor Bello.

A five-man panel of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammed, on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by Abubakar Ibrahim challenging Wada’s candidacy of the PDP in the Kogi State governorship election.

In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Amina Augie, the apex court affirmed the candidacy of Wada on the ground that Ibrahim failed to prove the allegation of illegal thumb printing of 600 ballot papers.

The court further held that beyond failing to prove his case, the appeal filed by Ibrahim is grossly lacking in merit, describing the appeal as mere academic exercise intended to waste the time of the court.

Counsel to Wada, Jibrin Okutepa, commending the Supreme Court judgment, declared he would continue the legal battle challenging the victory of Governor Bello in the Kogi State election. Invariably, Governor Yahaya Bello will be expecting fresh legal fireworks from Musa Wada.