Nigeria’s Supreme Court will on Tuesday September 20 deliver judgment in two separate appeals by former governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada and former APC governorship running mate, James Faleke, against Governor Yahaya Bello.
Wada and Faleke, had both appealed the decision of the Appeal Court which upheld the election of Governor Yahaya Bello.
A five-member panel of justices of the appellate court, had in a unanimous judgement read by Justice Jummai Sankey on August 4, 2016, upheld the verdict of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, which dismissed James Faleke’s petition.
Faleke contested the election with late Abubakar Audu as running mate.
But in Wada’s appeal, Justice Obande Festus Ogbuinya gave a dissenting judgment cancelling the election of Bello on the grounds that he was not validly nominated for the election following Audu’s death and he failed to nominate a running mate before the election.
He ordered the withdrawal of the governor’s Certificate of Return and the conduct of fresh election in the state.
The dissenting judgement which may determine the case has raised anxiety in Bello’s camp.
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