Following the Federal High Court judgement in Lokoja that affirmed Senator Atai Aidoko Ali as the 2019 Kogi East Senatorial candidate, he has urged the former Chief of Air Staff Isaac Mohammed Alfa to concede defeat.
Reacting to the development, Aidoko said, it is in the interest of the development of Igala/Bassa that Alfa should not resort to legal tussle over the district’s PDP flagbearer any longer.
Aidoko said it is undemocratic for his opponent to indulge in misinformation of the public over Kogi East Senate tussle to attract cheap political sympathy, through blackmail of the Senate leadership.
Justice D. U. Okorowo, of the FHC Lokoja, has declared Kogi East Senator, Atai Aidoko Ali as the authentic candidate for PDP, and dismissed the case brought before the trial court, by the former Air Chief, Mohammed Isaac Alfa.
Senator Aidoko argued that he was nominated by PDP delegates as the candidate of the party in the last primaries held by the party, to pick its flagbearers for the 2019 elections for Kogi East Senate.
Dissatisfied with the exercise contested by eight PDP aspirants, Alfa approached the court to declare him as the authentic candidate of the party, he was disqualified to run.
The FHC Abuja on resumption on the matter, got an application to transfer the matter to Lokoja, for further hearing and judgement.
The trial court in Lokoja after listening to the submission of both counsels to the Appellant and respondent, set aside judgment delivered.
Justice Okorowo dismissed the suit over lack of merit and did not award cost.
It will be recalled that Isaac Alfa was contending with Aidoko for the second time having in 2014 gone to court over PDP ticket for Kogi East, a case that had gone to the apex court twice and still lingering few months to the end of the 8th Assembly
Aidoko’s lawyers argued that the retrospective effect of the fourth alteration amendment of the constitution, should be blanket and interpreted by the trial court.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) however, declared the All Progressives Congress Senatorial candidate, Jibrin Isah Echocho in the contentious Senatorial election as the winner for Kogi East.
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