The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has sacked the Senator representing Kogi East Senatorial District, Attai Aidoko from the National Assembly.
The court ruled that the Certificate of Return issued to the sacked Senator is no longer valid and ordered that he should cease from parading himself as a senator of the Federal Republic.
The court had on December 14th, 2016 ruled that Senator Aidoko was duly elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue to him a Certificate of Return.
But the Appellate Court today (Monday) declared the earlier judgement in favour of Senator Aidoko as a nullity and rendered his Certificate of Return invalid.
In his judgement, the lead judge, Justice Abdul Aboki, declared that the seat for the Kogi East Senatorial District at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly is now vacant.
The sacking of Aidoko according to the Judge was on grounds that the embattled Senator was not dully elected in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial primary that was conducted in Idah in 2014.
Justice Aboki ordered the parties involved in the Senatorial seat judicial tussle to return to the Federal High Court to properly prove their case.
He said he was standing on the earlier ruling of the Supreme Court that had ordered the parties to return to the Federal High Court to determine their case.
He ruled that the lower court would have to determine in one way or the other, who should represent Kogi East between Senator Attai Aidoko and Senator Isaac Mohammed Alfa.
Justice Aboki said the seat would remain vacant pending the determination of the case at the Federal High Court.
The case before the Federal High Court is for the parties to call oral evidence to enable the court to determine who won the primary.
Senator Isaac Alfa was ordered to bring his witnesses before the court on 14th January, 2018 to prove he actually won the primary and not Senator Aidoko.
Counsel to Alfa Barr Reuben Egwuaba expressed happiness over the judgement, saying that it was a proof that the judiciary is really holding and defending the tenets of democracy.
While counsel to Aidoko, P.I.N Ikwueto, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria declined to make comment over the judgement.
Credit: InsideStory
