Appeal Court Nullifies Election of Kogi East Senator

Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday nullified the election of Aenator Attai Aidoko representing Kogi East senatorial district in the National Assembly.

The appellate court in the judgment, refused the application by Aidoko to reverse a decision of the lower court which held that he was not rightfully elected by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in its 2014 primaries.

The three-man panel led by Justice Abdul Aboki however, directed that all the parties go back to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing as initially directed by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had held that the lower court was in error to have come to a conclusion without calling oral evidence to resolve the dispute in the affidavits of both Aidoko and Isaac Alfa.
While Aidoko claimed he was the duly nominated candidate of the PDP for the re-run party primaries, Isaac Alfa on the other hand said he remains the duly nominated party candidate.
The court consequently ordered that the sum of N1 million be paid by Aidoko to Alfa whom the court held to be the lawfully nominated candidate of the PDP.

Alfa, who is a former Chief of Air Staff and member of the PDP, was declared winner of the re-run primaries of the PDP, but the party substituted his name with that of Aidoko who came second.
Displeased with the decision of his party, Alfa in last April filed a suit before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking reversal of his party’s decision.

Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Dimgba, upheld Alfa as the authentic candidate of the PDP for the 2015 National Assembly.
Not satisfied with Justice Dimgba’s decision, Aidoko then approached the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on July 24, 2016, declared a former Chief of Air Staff as the winner of the re-run election held at the senatorial district.
After the rerun election, Aidoko engaged in a legal battle with the former Chief of Air Staff, claiming to be the authentic candidate of the PDP for that election.

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