Tribunal sitting in Abuja has fixed Saturday 23rd May, 2020 as the judgment day between Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Engr. Musa Wada and Governor Yahaya Bello of All Progressives Congress, APC.
The Tribunal will deliver verdict on petition of PDP candidate, Musa Wasa, marked EPT/KG/GOV/06/2019, challenging the victory of Governor Yahaya Bello in the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State.
In a letter addressed to the Respondents by Secretary of the Tribunal, Umar Abubakar, the judgment will take place 10:00am at the Federal High Court Headquarters, Maitama Abuaj. According to the Secretary of the Tribunal, Respondents to the petition have already been served.
Wada in his petition alleged that the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State was marred by violence, over-voting and manipulation of figures and prayed that the Tribunal should declare him the winner of the election having scored the highest number of valid votes.
In the election, Wada scored 189,704 votes to emerge first runner-up while Yahaya Bello of APC scored 406,222 votes to emerge the winner of election, defeating the PDP candidate by a merging of 216,518 votes and set record as the highest merging ever in the history of the state, though the merging that many analysts and observers said it was manufactured and Bello can’t prove how he got it.
However, the PDP candidate is seeking the relief of the Tribunal to cancel votes of Yahaya Bello in seven local government including the 236,004 votes Yahaya Bello polled from his senatorial district, Kogi Central.
If Tribunal answers the prayer of Musa Wada of PDP, votes of seven local government will be canceled on Saturday and declare him the winner of the election.
Although, Yahaya Bello has also argued in his defence that he was the authentic winner of the election, adding that the election was free and fair.
Judgment will be delivered on Saturday by the three panel of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal led by Justice Kashim G. Kaigama.