Wada lacks legal right to question Bello’s nomination – Tribunal

The Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja has ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the November 21 and December , 2015 governorship election ‎in the state, Idris Wada, lacked locus standi to question the nomination of his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Yahaya Bello.

The Justice Hamima Mohammed-led tribunal made this pronouncement while upholding the preliminary of objection filed by Bello, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission to challenging Wada’s petition.

Meanwhile, the tri‎bunal is still considering the merit of the petition jointly filed by Wada, his running mate, Sunday Awoniyi and their party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

Wada had in his petition before the tribunal asked the tribunal to hold that he polled the highest lawful  votes in the November 21 poll and the December 5‎ supplementary election and should be returned as the Governor of the state.

Wada contended that Bello only polled 6,805 votes in the ‎December 5 supplementary election and could not possibly inherit the 240,867 votes polled by the original candidate of the APC in the November 21, 2015 election, the late Prince Abubakar Audu.

He therefore asked the tribunal to hold that having polled a total of 204,867 votes in the November 21 and December 5 supplementary ‎election, he was the validly elected governor of the state.

But the tribunal ruled on the respondents’ preliminary objection the nomination and sponsorship of Bello as the governorship candidate of the APC was a domestic affair of the party.

It ruled that neither the petitioners, the tribunal nor any other person who did not participate in the primary of the party, had the legal capacity to inquire into the nomination of the party’s candidate.

It also held that the lawfulness or validity of votes as defined by the petitioners are not consistent with judicial authorities.

Punch