The Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, on Thursday, ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had no candidate in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state.
Justice John Olorunfemi of the High Court 4, in a ruling declared that the party primary conducted on the 3rd September 2019, which produced Engr. Musa Wada as the PDP flagbearer was fraught with irregularities, such that an hour-long downpour and sporadic gunshots, which led to the delegates scampering for safety, cannot be said to be fair enough to produce a candidate.
The ruling was in a preelection matter filed by the eldest son of a former governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (Into), Abubakar Idris, challenging the candidature of Wada, a younger brother of another former governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada, as the PDP flagbearer in the November 16, 2019 governorship election.
According to him: “Neither the claimant, Alhaji Abubakar Idris nor the defendant, Engr. Musa Wada, can lay claim to be the authentic flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, since the primary was inconclusive.
He pointed out that the claimant who averred that he would have won the primary conducted by the 1st defendant, if the missing votes which belonged to him were added to his votes, could not convinced the court to deliver judgement in his favour.
Similarly, Justice Olorunfemi further submitted that the second defendant could not convince the court that he actually won the party primary, which was marred with rancour and acrimony, arising from pandemonium, due to sporadic gunshots, that compelled the participants to scamper for safety.”
The Nation