Fed Court decides on Kogi guber tussle Friday

A Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed Dec. 4 for judgment in a suit filed by Gov. Idris Wada of Kogi over the State’s inconclusive governorship election.
Wada is asking the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the Dec. 5 supplementary election in the state and declare him winner.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole fixed the date at the maiden hearing of four different suits filed in the case.
In a ruling, the judge granted accelerated hearing in the case and ordered the plaintiff to consolidate the four cases.
He ordered parties to the cases to harmonise all issues raised for determination considering the time frame.
The judge asked the parties to file their written addresses, of not more than 10 pages to 15 pages, within 48 hours.
He said the lawyers should be in court on Dec. 3 to adopt their written addresses to enable him to deliver judgment the following day.
Earlier, Mr Goddy Uche (SAN), who led the four plaintiffs, said they had harmonised and formulated three issues for the court’s determination.
“My lord, we have submitted a copy containing three issues for determination which are mutually agreed by all counsel to the plaintiff.
“The issues are; whether INEC can conduct a supplementary election using the votes earlier credited to the deceased candidate of APC, Prince Abubakar Audu while substituting a candidate who will now inherit the votes.
“If the answer is in the negative, we are asking the court to declare Wada as winner of the election being a candidate who came second in the election.
“In the alternative, we are asking the court to order the conduct of a fresh election in the state’’, he said.
NAN reports that Maimuna Ashiru and T.M. Inuwa, counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation and INEC respectively, did not oppose the application for the consolidation of the cases.
The APC, which is listed as defendant in the case, was however, not represented in court during the hearing.
The plaintiff’s lawyers informed the court that they were unable to effect service of the court processes on APC due to the crisis at the party’s national secretariat.
NAN reports that while Uche filed his case on behalf of Wada, the three other plaintiffs had approached the court on their own, to stop the supplementary election.
The other plaintiffs, who are all lawyers, are Emmanuel Daikoh, Emmanuel Igbokwe and J.J. Usman. (NAN)