AN Abuja HighCourt, on Monday,dismissed the application brought by Jibrin Isah, praying the court to uphold the January governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, where he emerged as the standard-bearer, before the tenure of office of the state governor was elongated by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.In his judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Sunday Aladetoyinbo, held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit instituted by Isah, as the September 23 governorship primary of the party, for which he instituted the case, took place in Lokoja and not in Abuja.The court, therefore, held that it did not have territorial jurisdiction to entertain the matter.It also upheld the objections by the counsel for Wada and the PDP, Chris Uche and Olusola Oke, that the suit was an abuse of court process.Justice Aladetoyinbo also held that the failure of Isah to join the Independent National Electoral Commi-ssion (INEC) in the suit further weakened his case, adding that 'I cannot make an order against a party that was not cited in the suit.'Isah had, on October 25, through his counsel, Paul Erokoro, filed the motion challenging his substitution by the PDP, after he was defeated by Wada at the fresh special state congress held in Lokoja on September 23.He had contended that having been validly and duly nominated as the PDP candidate in January and his name submitted to INEC, his candidature could not be vitiated by the postponement of the election from the initial date of April 26 to December 3.Reacting to the judgment, Isah urged his supporters not to quiver, as justice would be delivered at the appropriate time.Speaking through his media consultant, Mr Phrank Shiabu, he said 'with this development, it shows that there is hope for our noble cause. We will not fret nor stumble, as God is involved and accelerated justice will be dispensed in a matter of time.'In another development, the Ogun State election petitions tribunal has upheld the April 26 governorship election which saw Senator Ibikunle Amosun of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) emerge as the governor of the state.The governorship candi-date of the Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP), Chief Adetunji Olurin, had app-roached the court, in a suit no AEPT/OG/Gov/01/2011, challenging the victory of Amosun at the poll.The petitioner had asked the court to declare him the winner of the election, based on allegations of gross violations of the constitution and non-com-pliance with the Electoral Act.Olurin, through his coun-sel, Mr Ajibola Oluyede, argued that he polled a majority of the lawful votes cast and, therefore, sought to be declared winner or, in the alternative, the court should order a fresh election.Justice Bashir Sukola, while delivering the judg-ment that lasted for three hours, noted that the petitioner failed to prove beyond doubt the issue of non-compliance with the Electoral Act as related to disenfranchisement, by not calling any of the persons allegedly said to be disenfranchised.Justice Sukola said all the issues raised by both the petitioner and the respondents had been carefully considered and could not be substantiated with facts.He, therefore, dismissed the petition and upheld the victory of Amosun.Governor Amosun, reacting to his victory, described the verdict as a victory to all and a call to continue to serve the people of the state.The governor, who spoke with journalists shortly after the judgment at the Governor's Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, assured the people of the readiness of his administration to provide more dividends of democracy, adding that he had lost sleep over the case.'It is a call to continue to serve really. It is a challenge for us; it is democracy at work and at display. Because, it is strange really, you will recall that, immediately after the election, they congratulated us and attested to the fact; it was a landslide victory. So, we are suspicious about the case in the first instance, and it has been proven today that our people freely gave us the mandate,' Amosun said.
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