Kogi Set For Another Constitutional Puzzle As Court Rules On Bello’s Double Registration, PDP Ticket

A possible constitutional puzzle may yet surface again in Kogi State as courts rule on critical matters, rising from the build-up to the November 16th 2019 Governorship election.



First, on the 20th of January 2019, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will rule on the case of Double Registration levelled against Governor Yahaya Bello.

In an event where the Federal High Court rules in favour of the Governor and say he was legitimately fit to run for the Kogi gubernatorial election held in November 2019, it simply means that in the near future, if the Governor for instance, is running for Office of President, he can vote in Okene, Kogi State and still go and vote in Abuja on the same day and as well be voted for in both States even as per multiple polling units he belongs to at the same time, since he is a registered voter in both States.

While Governor Yahaya Bello is arguing that he didn’t engage in double INEC registration, he however does not have evidence to prove that he transferred his Permanent Voters Card (PVC) at all, from Abuja where he registered in 2011 to Kogi where he ran for 2nd term as Governor in 2019.

In 2017, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials that were involved in registering the Governor in Kogi State were sacked by the Commission for such act.

Meanwhile, On the 9th of January 2020, the State High Court in Lokoja will rule on the application of Musa Wada, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 16th 2019 Kogi State election. Wada had asked the Court to join Umar Fintiri, Adamawa State Governor, and Chairman of the PDP Electoral Committee in the September 3rd 2019 PDP Primary election in the matter.

While Abubakar Ibrahim (the plaintiff and first runner-up in the primary election) is insisting that it is needless since Fintiri as chairman of the primary election acted on behalf of PDP and PDP is already joined in the suit, Musa Wada (the respondent) is arguing that Fintiri as chairman of the primary election need to be included in the case for the case to be able to proceed properly.

Political watchers continue to wonder what the contending claimant stand to benefit from continuing with the legal tussle since the their Party, the PDP has been declared loser in the main election. Could they be nursing a glimmer of hope that may arise if any legal misfortune befall Gov. Yahaya Bello?

Instructively, the November 16, 2019 Kogi elections were largely condemned by local and international elections observers and even by the INEC itself due to widespread violence and blatant malpractices.

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