Kogi: Tribunal dismisses Labour Party’s motion to stop Bello’s inauguration
Justice Halima Mohammed, the chairman of the three-member tribunal that dismissed the motionexparte by the Labour Party (LP) against the governor-elect at its sitting in Lokoja, said the application was incompetent.
She said the application to hear the matter outside the pre-hearing session ought to have come by way of motion on notice, since an earlier motion exparte for substituted service of the petition on Bello as first respondent in the petition was granted.
Counsel to the petitioner/applicant, Mr. Reuben Egwuaba, had sought the leave of the tribunal, through the exparte motion, to hear the motion on notice restraining Bello from presenting himself before the chief judge for swearing-in.
He said the first respondent did not have a validly-elected running mate when the supplementary election was conducted, following his nomination as replacement for Prince Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, who died on November 22.
Egwuaba said: “Following the nomination of Bello as replacement for Audu, James Faleke, who was Audu’s running mate, withdrew and dissociated himself from the supplementary election as Bello’s running mate.
“Bello was declared governor-elect after the election. Now, the Labour Party that participated in all the stages of the elections on November 21 and December 5 submit that Bello was not qualified to participate in the supplementary election.
“Time is of essence, more so that the swearing-in has been scheduled for January 27. The motionexparte is for leave of the tribunal to hear the motion on notice outside pre-hearing session and stop the inauguration as we proceed to hear the substantive case.”
