The Action Congress of Nigeria candidate in the December 3 governorship election in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, has filed a petition challenging the result of the election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Audu, who filed the petition this week at the state High Court complex in Lokoja, raised a team of nine lawyers, led by Chief Kola Awodehin (SAN) and Mr. Charles Edosomwan (SAN) to handle the case.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that he also assembled 167 witnesses from 2,548 wards in the state to help establish his case at the tribunal.
Defendants in the case are the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Captain Idris Wada and his running mate, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner and INEC are also joined in the suit.
Audu’s petition was hinged on three grounds; that the PDP candidate did not win the majority of the lawful votes in the election but that he (Audu) had the majority of the lawful votes.
Audu added that Captain Wada was not qualified to contest the governorship election and that the election was marred in some wards.
The petition was personally submitted at about 3 p.m. by Audu in company of his running mate, Mr Henry Ojuola, and Dino Melaiye, as well as the state ACN chairman, My Haddy Amaetuo and Mr Kunel Adegoge, a lawyer from the chambers of Banire and Associates, Lagos.
All the 167 witnesses and some party members also followed the petitioner to the court in a convoy.
The petition was received by Miss Bisi Abawonda on behalf of the secretary of the tribunal.
