A suit surreptitiously sponsored by Nigeria’s controversial Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke to unseat the elected governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada in his bid to settle scores with the immediate past governor of the state, Ibrahim Idris, toady fell flat before a federal high court in Abuja.
ireports-ng.com had exclusively reported last Saturday of a plot by Adoke to sponsor a suit in court last Monday to seek the nullification of Wada’s mandate. Following our report, the lawyers initially selected to handle the case backed out of the arrangement and as such, the suit could not be filed on Monday. The AGF had been locked in a battle of supremacy with former governor Idris. He did everything to frustrate the bid by Idris to determine his successor and as a result cashed in on the recent supreme court judgement which sacked five PDP governors including that of Kogi,which is Adoke’s home state.He had instructed the speaker of the state house of assembly, Hon Bello to take over the government house, three hours after Wada had been sworn in as the elected governor.
The suit which could not be filed last Monday however resurfaced today through a PDP governorship aspirant in the state Oyebode Makinde who through his counsel, Alex Izinyon brought a motion ex-parte asking the court to restrain Wada from carrying on with the duties of the governor on the basis that his inauguration was unconstitutional.
The plaintiff joined the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC, the PDP, Idris Wada, the speaker of Kogi House of Assembly,the state Commissioner of Police, Chief Judge and the Grand Khadi of the state as respondents.
After listening to the exparte application, Justice Donatus Okorowo refused to grant the application and held that it was clear that two people are laying claim to the office of the governor of Kogi state adding that the applicant is seeking to restrain Wada from being inaugurated into the office of the governor.The presiding Judge further held that the applicant is not laying claim to the seat of the governor but rather saying that he would submit himself to a fresh primary if the inauguration is quashed.
According to Justice Okorowa:”It is therefore on this note I decline prayers 3 and 4 and I order the applicant to put all respondents on notice.I also grant an order of accelerated hearing and also abridge time for the filing and exchange of processes; I hereby adjourn this matter till February 8″.
