The Kogi State governorship election tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has in a unanimous decision today upheld the election of Governor Yahaya Bello as the duly elected governor of Kogi State.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, Halima Mohammed, who read the judgment in the petition filed by a member of the House of Representatives, James Faleke, threw away the petition for lacking in merit.
In a Press Statement made available to Elombah.com, Alhaji Yahaya Bello hailed the judgement as a victory for democracy.
He said the decision of the Bench Lords has further justified his election as the Governor of Kogi State, saying the victory belongs to the people of Kogi State, our party APC and lovers of democracy across the nation.
Mr. Faleke challenged the emergence of Mr. Bello as governor and asked the tribunal to declare him governor because the election of late Abubakar Audu was almost concluded before he died.
Mr. Bello was nominated by the APC to replace its late candidate, Mr. Audu.
Mr. Faleke ran as deputy governorship candidate with Mr. Audu and they were coasting to victory before Mr. Audu suddenly died.
INEC declared the election inconclusive and asked the APC to nominate a replacement for the deceased. Mr. Bello was nominated and he nominated Mr. Faleke as his deputy, an offer the latter refused.
Ms. Mohammed said on Monday that the fact that INEC declared the first election held on November 21, 2015 inconclusive meant no governor or deputy governor-elect had emerged.
She also averred that all votes cast belong to political parties, “it is the political party, through the instrumentality of its candidate that runs for election.”
She said Mr. Faleke therefore lacked the locus standi to challenge the nomination of Mr. Bello to replace the late Mr. Audu since he was never a deputy governor-elect.
The tribunal therefore, threw away his petition as lacking in merit.
“No right can accrue from an inconclusive election,” she said.
Speaking after the judgement, the Governor said the victory does not call for wild jubilation by his supporters, but offers a golden opportunity for his opponents to join the New Direction Initiative of his administration, which is built on the podiums of development, fairness, justice, freedom and shared prosperity from the confluence of opportunities which abound in the state.
Governor Bello said he holds no grudge against any party, who had approached the temple of justice to seek redress, saying as a democrat, he will always respect the rights of the citizens.
He said his administration is currently putting in place, tested and sustainable structures to revolutionize education, healthcare, agro-business, industrialization and conscious efforts at creating jobs for the teeming unemployed in the state.
The Governor said his administration has already begun the modernization of the State Capital from the shambles of the past to a destination for tourism and infrastructural development, assuring the people of the state that they will be proud of his achievements.
He denied been distracted by the litigation surrounding his emergence as Governor, saying he has delivered solid democracy dividends to the people in his first four months in office.
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