By Ochereome Nnanna

GOVERNOR Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is the most insecure of the 36 state governors right now. The Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal will, any moment from now, pronounce its verdict on the winner of the governorship rerun election that took place on February 28th, 2016.

Or more appropriately, the verdict will pronounce the person who will be governor between Bello, former Governor Idris Wada of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the running mate to Alhaji Abubakar Audu, the late flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the original governorship poll which took place on November 22, 2016, Hon. James Faleke.

All three are tenaciously laying claim to the coveted seat, and there is no clear indicator as to where the “cat” is going to jump until the Tribunal makes its voice heard.

The Kogi governorship poll under contest was one of the most complicated in the seventeen years of our renascent democracy. Kogi is one of the states that fell outside the general electoral calendar as a result of earlier complications. Here is a recap of the story.

The governorship election took place on Saturday, November 22nd 2015. Audu woke up on Election Day and started complaining of stomach pains. He managed to vote and went back to his home for treatment. He remained there while the vote counting went on, and by the end of that Saturday, it was obvious he was in the lead. But by 9.00am the following morning, he died, and the drama of the Kogi polls took on a complicated plot.

Eventually, it turned out he won the majority of votes, according to Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, the Returning Officer of the Kogi governorship poll, with 240,876 compared to Governor Wada’s 199,514.

However, the election was declared inconclusive because, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the 41,353-vote difference between Audu and Wada was less than the 49,953 registered voters who did not vote. At this point there was confusion everywhere.

Many commentators opined that INEC should still have announced the winner since the elections had been concluded before Audu died, meaning that his running mate, Hon. James Faleke, should have been pronounced governor-elect. This is Faleke’s main ground for going to the Tribunal and stubbornly refusing to act as Bello’s Deputy Governor in defiance of his party’s entreaties. But Wada’s camp and independent observers note that Audu’s death before the formal announcement of the results presented a big constitutional lacuna.

It only provides that if the flag bearer dies before an election, his deputy will not automatically step in as flag bearer since he did not participate in the primaries of his political party. Rather, the party will be allowed to produce a new flag bearer. And if the death occurs after the results are announced, the deputy automatically assumes the mandate of the people, having participated in the campaigns.

This difficult situation was further worsened when the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, advised the APC to shop for a replacement for Audu to contest the rescheduled election to give the 49,953 voters on the register the opportunity to play the tie-breaker between APC and PDP candidates. APC found itself in a quandary and went back to the candidate who had come second during its primaries which Audu had won: Yahaya Bello. They ignored Faleke (who argued that Audu’s votes also belonged to him as both of them had worked for them) and asked Bello to stand in the place of Audu.

At the end of the rescheduled election of December 5th 2015, Bello, riding on APC’s victory crest, polled 6,885, while PDP’s Wada got 5,363. The problem here is that Bello was sworn-in as governor based on the “transferred” votes the Kogi electorate gave to the late Audu and Faleke.

The constitution and the electoral law have no provision for the “transfer” of votes from a dead candidate to a living one. Secondly, Bello is carrying the additional burden of going into the rescheduled election without a running mate, as Faleke declined his invitation to join the ticket. The constitution and the electoral law insist that for a governorship ticket to be valid there must be a flag bearer and a running mate.

When you look at this with the eyes of a layman, it seems that Bello might well be on “an excursion” in the Lugard House, as some of his own disgruntled party men have put it. It will be very interesting to see how the Tribunal will deal with this issue. Faleke, on the other hand, will not have it as easy as his camp may wish. He is haunted by the unfortunate albatross of his principal dying before the result was announced.

If Audu had died after the poll was declared inconclusive, Faleke would have taken up the flag for APC in the rescheduled election without stress. We would then not be talking about “inherited” or “transferred” votes. If “transferred” votes are validated, it could open a new, bloody chapter in Nigerian politics where popular candidates will become endangered species and targeted for murder by every conceivable means just before they are officially pronounced winners.

Wada, on the other hand, might well surprise most pundits by finding himself favoured by the complex odds that have bedevilled the APC. It will, however, be surprising if the Tribunal will award victory to a candidate and party that did not win a majority of the Kogi electorate’s mandate.

However, Wada’s camp appears not to be banking heavily on benefiting from the calamities of the APC. They seem convinced that the forensic examination of ballots which showed that Audu benefited from a lot of electoral irregularities could swing back the majority of valid votes to their candidate, Captain Idris Wada.

Indeed, the next few days to the verdict of the Tribunal will be a period of great tension and expectations among the three contending camps in the Kogi governorship poll. We wait to see how it ends.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/kogi-tribunal-anything-can-happen/

Anything but bello. In just 5 months, bello has brought untold hardship to our state. God pls anything but bello. Reckless spending, cultists, insecurity etc are now the order of the day.

Wada was borrowing to pay salary. For the local government he share what was available to all the staff. Yet we cursed. Now see what has happened to all of us. Bello has sack who he want to sack including nlc chairman. Who will fight for us now?

Bello pls go. What are his achievement so far? Impeachment of speaker by 5 out of 15. Demolition of all roundabouts in search of amulets. ethnic cleansing of civil service , diversion of bailout funds. Unprecedented borrowing, indiscriminate arrests by sss, baba God please pick our call in kogi. We are sorry. Either faleke or wada but not bello

cc: lalasticlala, have a look at this

One major factor that the author of the article missed is that bello does not have a voters card- a critical requirement for contesting election. INEC erred in the first place by allowing bello to contest the election because he does not have a valid voters card. It is just like a candidate being snuck in to sit for jamb without a valid jamb registration. Any result he gets from the exam is invalid. It is just common sense. But This is the era of APC abracadabra. So let us wait and see

BREAKING: The G15 Kogi Assembly Members just arrived the Kogi state assembly complex led by the authentic Speaker, Rt. Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal.

Sanity is gradually taking over impunity in Kogi State. We appreciate the judiciary and the rule of law. Nobody can be greater than the state. Kogi State belong to all of us.

The resumption was cut short by a batch of policemen who arrested some members. This is in spite of the fact thatvthey were served the judgement of the federal high court that reinstated speaker jimoh. They are obviously working under bello orders. Impunity in kogi is too much. No rule of law again. How can 5 be greater than 15?

lalasticlala, come and see oooo

From the positions juxtaposed between the three camps , Wada deserves declaratory judgment.

REASONS
The certificate of returns issued Bello transferred Audu's vote to Bello. That's action is in nulity.

That he entered the race without a defined deputy, he also acted in nulity.

That Yahaya Bello or Bello Yahaya is not a registered voter in Kogi State makes his decoration as governor most bizzarre

Faleke my man.
A dodged fighter,
a man of principle
and loyal deputy Governor to Audu, your case ended with the demise of Audu but you are material for the future.

As for Capt. Idris Ichalla WADA, victory is in the air.
The people are waiting, The expectations to your coming back with the loyal Deputy Awoniyi is palpable /thick in the air that it can be held both hands physically.
BECAUSE
If the faltered faulty footsteps of APC in the whole political lacuna vice-a-vise
the illegal substitution or nomination of Bello;

encouragement of Bello to enter the race without a defined deputy;

Allowing Bello to contest without ascertaining his voters card status;
Does not give the needed victory.
Then you will nail them through judicial precedence of forensic evidence. Oshimole, Mimiko, Aregbesola are serving governors by virtue of this legal window of prudence.

God shall manifest that from a true heart cos there is power in my tongue.

KOGI: LAWMAKERS IN FRESH SHOWDOWN WITH YAHAYA BELLO OVER 2016 APPROPRIATION BILL

There seems to be no respite in sight for the embattled governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello as 13 members of the state house of assembly have approached a federal high court in lokoja seeking to nullify the purported passage of the state's appropriation bill 2016 and the governor's assent thereon on grounds of illegality and fraud. In an originating summons no.Fhc/lkj/CS/31/16, filed by the newly reinstated speaker ,Rt. Hon Momoh Jimoh Lawal &12ors against Hon.Umar Ahmad lmam &15ors,counsel to the plaintiffs ,S.I Ibrahim Esq ,seeks on their behalf inter alia a determination as to whether "...having regards to the exercise of the powers of the national assembly pursuant to section 11(4)of the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999,the kogi state house of assembly could carry on any legislative functions, including but not limited to passage of the 2016 appropriation bill and granting approval for accessing bail out funds or exercise any legislative powers howsoever during the pendency of the said resolution. Also joined in the suit are the attorney general of the federation, the minister of finance and the governor of the central bank of nigeria. The action seeks among other reliefs"... a declaration that the kogi state appropriation law 2016 is illegal,null and void having been passed in violation of the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria " thereby rendering the governor's assent to the bill a nullity having been predicted upon a void bill. It would be recalled that consequent upon its take over of the functions of the kogi house of assembly, the national assembly had directed the governor to forward to it the said appropriation bill and all other bills requiring attention for purposes of passage, a directive that was rebuffed by the governor who had claimed neutrality earlier on in the assembly crises. Hearing has been fixed for June 2016.

AMEN

uloewa:
By Ochereome Nnanna

GOVERNOR Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is the most insecure of the 36 state governors right now. The Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal will, any moment from now, pronounce its verdict on the winner of the governorship rerun election that took place on February 28th, 2016.

Or more appropriately, the verdict will pronounce the person who will be governor between Bello, former Governor Idris Wada of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the running mate to Alhaji Abubakar Audu, the late flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the original governorship poll which took place on November 22, 2016, Hon. James Faleke.

All three are tenaciously laying claim to the coveted seat, and there is no clear indicator as to where the “cat” is going to jump until the Tribunal makes its voice heard.

The Kogi governorship poll under contest was one of the most complicated in the seventeen years of our renascent democracy. Kogi is one of the states that fell outside the general electoral calendar as a result of earlier complications. Here is a recap of the story.

The governorship election took place on Saturday, November 22nd 2015. Audu woke up on Election Day and started complaining of stomach pains. He managed to vote and went back to his home for treatment. He remained there while the vote counting went on, and by the end of that Saturday, it was obvious he was in the lead. But by 9.00am the following morning, he died, and the drama of the Kogi polls took on a complicated plot.

Eventually, it turned out he won the majority of votes, according to Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, the Returning Officer of the Kogi governorship poll, with 240,876 compared to Governor Wada’s 199,514.

However, the election was declared inconclusive because, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the 41,353-vote difference between Audu and Wada was less than the 49,953 registered voters who did not vote. At this point there was confusion everywhere.

Many commentators opined that INEC should still have announced the winner since the elections had been concluded before Audu died, meaning that his running mate, Hon. James Faleke, should have been pronounced governor-elect. This is Faleke’s main ground for going to the Tribunal and stubbornly refusing to act as Bello’s Deputy Governor in defiance of his party’s entreaties. But Wada’s camp and independent observers note that Audu’s death before the formal announcement of the results presented a big constitutional lacuna.

It only provides that if the flag bearer dies before an election, his deputy will not automatically step in as flag bearer since he did not participate in the primaries of his political party. Rather, the party will be allowed to produce a new flag bearer. And if the death occurs after the results are announced, the deputy automatically assumes the mandate of the people, having participated in the campaigns.

This difficult situation was further worsened when the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, advised the APC to shop for a replacement for Audu to contest the rescheduled election to give the 49,953 voters on the register the opportunity to play the tie-breaker between APC and PDP candidates. APC found itself in a quandary and went back to the candidate who had come second during its primaries which Audu had won: Yahaya Bello. They ignored Faleke (who argued that Audu’s votes also belonged to him as both of them had worked for them) and asked Bello to stand in the place of Audu.

At the end of the rescheduled election of December 5th 2015, Bello, riding on APC’s victory crest, polled 6,885, while PDP’s Wada got 5,363. The problem here is that Bello was sworn-in as governor based on the “transferred” votes the Kogi electorate gave to the late Audu and Faleke.

The constitution and the electoral law have no provision for the “transfer” of votes from a dead candidate to a living one. Secondly, Bello is carrying the additional burden of going into the rescheduled election without a running mate, as Faleke declined his invitation to join the ticket. The constitution and the electoral law insist that for a governorship ticket to be valid there must be a flag bearer and a running mate.

When you look at this with the eyes of a layman, it seems that Bello might well be on “an excursion” in the Lugard House, as some of his own disgruntled party men have put it. It will be very interesting to see how the Tribunal will deal with this issue. Faleke, on the other hand, will not have it as easy as his camp may wish. He is haunted by the unfortunate albatross of his principal dying before the result was announced.

If Audu had died after the poll was declared inconclusive, Faleke would have taken up the flag for APC in the rescheduled election without stress. We would then not be talking about “inherited” or “transferred” votes. If “transferred” votes are validated, it could open a new, bloody chapter in Nigerian politics where popular candidates will become endangered species and targeted for murder by every conceivable means just before they are officially pronounced winners.

Wada, on the other hand, might well surprise most pundits by finding himself favoured by the complex odds that have bedevilled the APC. It will, however, be surprising if the Tribunal will award victory to a candidate and party that did not win a majority of the Kogi electorate’s mandate.

However, Wada’s camp appears not to be banking heavily on benefiting from the calamities of the APC. They seem convinced that the forensic examination of ballots which showed that Audu benefited from a lot of electoral irregularities could swing back the majority of valid votes to their candidate, Captain Idris Wada.

Indeed, the next few days to the verdict of the Tribunal will be a period of great tension and expectations among the three contending camps in the Kogi governorship poll. We wait to see how it ends.

There's no speculating anything. Bello is a goner, period!

asuneyi:
One major factor that the author of the article missed is that bello does not have a voters card- a critical requirement for contesting election. INEC erred in the first place by allowing bello to contest the election because he does not have a valid voters card. It is just like a candidate being snuck in to sit for jamb without a valid jamb registration. Any result he gets from the exam is invalid. It is just common sense. But This is the era of APC abracadabra. So let us wait and see

Is it that he didn't have a voters card as at the time of elections or his voters card wasn't obtained in Kogi State?

Let the better person win

bello must be kicked out





TeamFaleke

Chai, bad moment...

The only thing that can happen is to sack Yahaya Bello. He is on a seat he doesn't merit.
Besides, I don't think they have amended the part of the electoral act that created this logjam. Are they waiting for another case to take place before the do so?

Bello

afla:
From the positions juxtaposed between the three camps , Wada deserves declaratory judgment.

REASONS
The certificate of returns issued Bello transferred Audu's vote to Bello. That's action is in nulity.

That he entered the race without a defined deputy, he also acted in nulity.

That Yahaya Bello or Bello Yahaya is not a registered voter in Kogi State makes his decoration as governor most bizzarre

Faleke my man.
A dodged fighter,
a man of principle
and loyal deputy Governor to Audu, your case ended with the demise of Audu but you are material for the future.

As for Capt. Idris Ichalla WADA, victory is in the air.
The people are waiting, The expectations to your coming back with the loyal Deputy Awoniyi is palpable /thick in the air that it can be held both hands physically.
BECAUSE
If the faltered faulty footsteps of APC in the whole political lacuna vice-a-vise
the illegal substitution or nomination of Bello;

encouragement of Bello to enter the race without a defined deputy;

Allowing Bello to contest without ascertaining his voters card status;
Does not give the needed victory.
Then you will nail them through judicial precedence of forensic evidence. Oshimole, Mimiko, Aregbesola are serving governors by virtue of this legal window of prudence.

God shall manifest that from a true heart cos there is power in my tongue.

Faleke is 54 years old.

Is Kogi still a state in Nigeria sef?



All these yeye states wey no dey contribute any thing to our National Bank account..

[quote author=MrMcJay post=45991372][/quote]

this is sense

THE IMPUNITY OF BELLO CONTINUES.

DRAMA AS KOGI ASSEMBLY GATE LOCKED AGAINST G15 MEMBERS

AMUDA DAN SULAIMAN FAB

It was mild drama at the Main Gate of Kogi State House of Assembly complex, when the G15 members including the Speaker, Alhaji Momoh Jimoh Lawal resumed at the Assembly after protracted crisis which rocked the House in the last few months and prevented from entering the gate.

The G15 members had arrived the Assembly Complex at about 10.00 am to commence the plenary session of the House, but found the gate under lock and key.

After much altercations between the security agents at the gate, the main gate and Chamber door were forced open to enable them to have their sitting today.

The security agents also attempted to prevent the Assembly members when they shouted" kill us now! kill us now !! kill us now !!! and moved towards the hallow chamber where they sat and conducted legislative duty.

It was gathered that the Assembly staff who had earlier reported work were instructed to leave and closed their offices when the information filtered in that the G15 members of the Assembly were on the way to resume.

Source hinted that the Chief of Staff to Alfa Imman, the sacked speaker had instructed the workers to close down the complex and go into hiding.

At the plenary session, the Deputy Majority leader, Mr Sunday Shigaba moved a motion lifting the purported suspension of 10 members by the G5 and also called for the extension of hand of fellowship to the remaining members at other side of divide and seconded by Honourable Omofaye representing Ijumu constituency.

The speaker was embattled for quite some time now and was reinstated by the Federal High Court in Abuja last week.

At the resumption of the plenary, Lawal commended the gallantry and selfless sacrifice of every member who in the face of all challenges stood against injustices and anti democratic tendencies that was at play.

"Our struggle for the entrenchment of democracy in Kogi state has paid off with the judicial pronouncement made on Thursday 19th May, 2016 . Permit me to commend the Judiciary for standing for the truth", he stated.

The motion for adjournment till next Tuesday 30th May, 2016 was moved by the Majority leader, Mathew Kolawole and seconded by Honourable Linus Eneche.

While the plenary session was in progress, the detachment of Police which was led by the State Police Commissioner, CP Yakubu Usman arrived the Assembly complex.

Upon arrival of the State Commissioner of Police, another round of argument ensued between him and legislators who claimed to be doing their legitimate duty as members of the Kogi State House of Assembly.

Usman while fielding questions from Journalists at the Assembly complex, stated that he was informed that some thugs have taken over the Assembly complex, hence he has reinforced the detachment of police to arrest the situation.

The State Director, State Security Service, SSS who was also at the Assembly Complex, stated that he was there to asses situation in the complex.

Meanwhile the State Police Command has disclosed that it has arrested four suspects at the Assembly complex.

While parading the suspect at Command headquarters in Lokoja, the state commissioner of Police, Yakubu Usman stated that he had a distress call that thugs have invaded the House of Assembly.

Speaking on behalf of the suspected thugs, Abdullahi Yakubu Musa Bako disclosed that he is the Personal Assistant to Honourable Idris Ndakwo who is representing Lokoja II, saying that they were picked at Crusher Village where his principal parked his car.

It would be recalled that Federal High Court has ordered the G15 to return to the house and maintained status quo

seen

At op, that is quite a fact sheet of the whole issue. I pray the tribunal verdict will favour "our governor in waiting" hon. Abiodun Faleke.

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MrMcJay:


Is it that he didn't have a voters card as at the time of elections or his voters card wasn't obtained in Kogi State?

His voters card is not valid for elections in Kogi state. the constitution requires that your voters card is registered in the place that you want to contest. but with his friend Malami supporting bello in all forms of illegality, they might use abuja power to force the tribunal judges to disregard the constitutional requirement. after all they supported him so far in the assembly matter where they supported 5 lawmakers against 15. even after a judge ruled that the 15 are the legitimate group, they are using the police to arrest them. a very sad development for Kogi and Nigeria.

It's funny how people let sentiment cloud their sense of judgement, it is a known fact that kog is one of the states with high number of ghost workers if he is cleaning up the civil service and u re here wailing I can wish u keep on wailing while he keep on winning[color=#990000][/color]

Fingers crossed its Nigerian politics anything van happen but there is always room for appeal till the supreme level, no prob then.

Declaring d election inconclusive was d major cause of all d troubles, based on intelligence report the news of audus death was already circulating during d time of d declaration.

I think d best solution would hav being to conduct a fresh election to give all candidate a level playing ground and nt transferring of votes

Mistamahmud:
It's funny how people let sentiment cloud their sense of judgement, it is a known fact that kog is one of the states with high number of ghost workers if he is cleaning up the civil service and u re here wailing I can wish u keep on wailing while he keep on winning[color=#990000][/color]

Does cleaning up the civil service involve the bolded issues below?

afla post=45989699 :
Bello pls go. What are his achievement so far? Impeachment of speaker by 5 out of 15. Demolition of all roundabouts in search of amulets. ethnic cleansing of civil service , diversion of bailout funds. Unprecedented borrowing, indiscriminate arrests by sss, baba God please pick our call in kogi. We are sorry. Either faleke or wada but not bello
cc: lalasticlala, have a look at this

The civil service is the highest employer of labour as well as largest industry in Kogi. Unfortunately, it has been dominated by the Igala people at the detriment of the Okun, Ebira, Bassa, etc. I think Bello is trying to do what Ihejirika did in the Army, but it is usually very difficult.