Judgement: Media Centre Celebrates Bello’s Victory
Following the Supreme Court judgement on Monday, the Yahaya Bello Media Centre has felicitated with its principal, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on his victory at the apex court.
The centre stated this in a tweet on its handle.
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Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji of the court affirmed Bello as the duly elected governor of the state.
Bello re-contested the November 2019 Kogi governorship election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while his major Challenger, Musa Wada contested the poll under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wada’s Counsel, J.S. Okutepa, had argued that Yahaya Bello was not lawfully elected, adding that the election was invalid. He alleged that the poll was marred by irregularities, including corrupt practices.
Okutepa also argued that the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed Bello as the winner, acted without jurisdiction, and breached the party’s right to fair hearing.
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Justice Aji maintained that the earlier decisions of the tribunal and the appeal court diminished the complaint of the appellants.
But, while reacting to the judgement, the media centre also obviously mocked the PDP going by the content of the tweet.
It said: “They can’t abort this flight. It is destined to land safely.
“Congratulations Gov. Yahaya Bello and Chief @ed_onoja
Congratulations Kogites
Congratulations All Progressive Congress (@OfficialAPCNg)”
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In a related development, the National leadership of the APC in its reaction to the judgement, hailed the apex court for “defending the votes and mandate the good people of Kogi State overwhelmingly gave Governor Yahaya Bello to lead them for another four years.”
The party noted that the the victory of the governor will encourage him to be more focused on his administration’s effort to ensure peace and guarantee security for people of the state.
On its part, the PDP said it is shocked by the judgement.
A statement by its Spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party however, accepts the verdict of the court.
Ologbondiyan said: “It accepts the verdict of the supreme court, as the apex court in the land, the judgment fell short of the expectation of the majority of the people of Kogi state and Nigerians in general, who collectively looked up to the court to remedy the manifest injustices, manipulations, violence and killings that marred the election.
“Indeed, the judgment had not inspired hope in our national quest to ensure that our elections are violent-free as well as deter unpatriotic individuals who resort to violence and killing to gain access to power, as heavily witnessed in the Kogi election.”
