Winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Kogi governorship primary election held in January, Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho, has written to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, asking him to stop the December 3 governorship election in the state pending the determination of a suit challenging the nomination of Captain Idris Wada as the flagbearer of the party.
Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho has been battling to retain the ticket he won at an earlier primary conducted by the party last January before a Federal High Court judgment stopped the governorship election in some states, including Kogi.
A PDP chieftain in the state and a staunch supporter of Echocho, Alhaji Umar Lawal, had gone to court seeking for an order to declare the Sptember 22nd primary election held by the PDP which produced Captain Wada, as invalid and illegal, and praying the court to uphold the earlier January primary election through which Echocho emerged the party’s flag bearer.
Echocho’s letter to Professor Jega, dated November 17, 2011 and signed by his counsel, R.O Adakole of S.I Ameh SAN and co. read in part, “we wish to recall the suit that was commenced against your commission via leave of the honourable court granted on the 21st day of September, 2011 whereof the applicant was granted to apply for order of judicial review by way on mandamus, prohibition and other declarative reliefs.”
“Upon the granting of the said leave, the enrolled order of the honourable court and the motion on notice were duly served on your commission and the other parties.”
“We wish to note that the subject matter of the pending action against your commission and the others in the suit is the determination of the question of “who is the candidate of the PDP for the Kogi State governorship election, which you had slated for December 3, 2011.
“In view of the subsisting action, the res of the matter is subjudice and all actions must wait the determination of the question/action as to do otherwise will not only be contemptuous but an affront on the course of justice.”
“On the premises of the foregoing, we hereby enjoin you to refrain from taking any further steps including holding of any election pending the determination of the substantive suit.”
