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By Yusuf Abubakar.
Senator representing Kogi East, Atai Aidoko Ali said his membership of the senate is not contestable in view of the Appeal Court ruling as laws are not retrogressive.
Reacting to the court ruling, Senator Aidoko said he remain the bona fide occupant of Kogi East seat in the senate until the substantive hearing of the appeal at the Supreme Court.
He said the Appeal Court ruled on the oral application brought by lawyers of Air Marshal Isaac Alfa (rtd), Reuben Egwuaba who referred to section 285 subsection 12 that made it outlawed for a substantive pre-election matter to run for 60 days against the over 100 days spent on the matter, while the judges jettisoned section 10 of the same provision that argued for 180 days of the trial court against 254 days spent at the high court by lawyers of Senator Aidoko, P.I.N. Ekwuaetor.
Senator Aidoko said it is on record that laws made in the country is not retrogressive as the matter was instituted in 2014 as a pre-election matter against the candidacy of the incumbent senator.
The appeal court did not entertain the matter filed by the lawyers of Kogi East senator after the disbandment of the earlier panel that adjourned the case.
“Contrary to the insinuations and speculations surrounding the appeal court ruling, it is an abberration to agree on section 12 of 285 and disagreed on section 10 of the same 285 to arrive at a judgment,” he said.
Aidoko said not minding the retrogressive stance of the appeal court, a stay of execution and an appeal has been instituted against the ruling of the appeal court at the apex court.
“The Appeal Court refused to hear the parties and went ahead to rule on a new ground of law enacted in June this year that was of no effect on the matter as no judgement is delivered in isolation on an impending case that the journey started from the federal high court “
He advised the contender, Alfa to drop his usual gimmick of misinforming the public and drawing public sympathy as precedence is always an ingredients that enrich our law.
“Pre-election matter as regards a senator from Akwa Ibom state, Albert Bassey, was determined by the Supreme court and at the house of representatives. Herman Hembe was removed by the judgment of the Supreme court, so Kogi East will not be an exception.
“The Appeal Court in June this year did not give any information when the appeal was filed and adjourned severally based on the previous provisions of the rules of the court. When a new rule is convened, it has little or no effect on an existing matter not determined by the court.
“I am not bordered by his media hype as my focus now is to prepare for my reelection in 2019 as the apex court reserve the right to go either way to resolve the issue of Kogi East senate seat.
“As the current candidate of PDP in the 2019 elections, I will be preoccupied with the process of my re-election next year and will not succumb to any distraction henceforth.”
He enjoined the contender to desist from overheating the polity and focus on the outcome of the judgement of the Supreme Court that is expected to last in the next 60 days.
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