Former governor of Kogi, Captain Idris Wada (rtd) and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 November governorship election, has lost his bid to upstage Yahaya Bello at the election petitions tribunal of Kogi State.
On Tuesday, June 7, 2016, the tribunal dismissed the petition brought by Wada challenging the nomination of Governor Yahaya Bello as the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate.
The tribunal ruled that Idris Wada, lacked the locus standi to question the nomination of Bello.
Idris Wada Not Only Challenger
On Monday, the tribunal also dismissed another challenge to Governor Bello’s nomination by the APC to run in place of the late Audu Abubakar was the party’s governorship flagbearer in the November 20, 2015 election until he died suddenly, the morning after the poll.
James Faleke, running mate to the late Abubakar Audu had challenged the nomination of Bello by filing a petition at the tribunal.
Faleke was running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 21, 2015 election. He had prayed the tribunal to announce him as the rightful candidate of the APC.
The tribunal held that Faleke could not be declared governor because he did not participate in the APC primary that produced a candidate for governorship.
Yahaya Bello came second in the primary in which the late Audu won.
Abubakar Audu, a two-time governor of Kogi State was leading in the poll of November 21, 2015, when he died suddenly, the morning after the elections.
The elections were declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and his party, the APC replaced him with Yahaya Bello, instead of his running mate.
The APC went on the win the supplementary elections and Bello was declared the winner of the race.
