Kogi: ‘INEC Plotted Coup Against Constitution’

A Senior Advocate of
Nigeria (SAN),  Mr Wole Olanipekun says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) plotted coup against the Nigeria’s Constitution by declaring Yahaya Bello as Kogi State governor.
Olanipekun, who is the Counsel to Mr James Faleke, the petitioner, told the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday while giving his final addresses.
He said that the constitution was self explanatory and that the petitioner “has a locus standi for him to have channeled his complain to the tribunal’’.
The counsel, therefore, urged the tribunal to forget all the grammar spoken by the respondents and face the fact by declaring his client as the rightful and legal governor.
Olanipekun urged the tribunal to use the case of late President Umar Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan as a case study where the former died and the latter was later made the president.
“I urged this tribunal to forget about all the grammar being spoken by these respondents and face the fact that this petition has not been resisted by the 1st and 2nd respondents, INEC and Bello.
“The petitioner has a locus standi, I agree that this kind of issue has never happened before but this is a coup set up by the 1st respondent.
“This is also the first time in the history of democracy where someone will contest without a running mate,’’ Olanipekun said.
The petitioner’s counsel also told the tribunal that the 2nd respondent, Bello, was not a registered voter in the state which he said was against the provision of the constitution.
According to him, the constitution said that you should vote and be voted which the 2nd respondent does not even meet up with any of the provision.
Earlier, Mr Alex Izinyon (SAN), Counsel to INEC, urged the tribunal to dismiss Faleke’s petition for lacking merit.
According to Izinyon, the case of INEC was straight forward and that Section 33 of the Electoral Act brought in the 2nd respondent as the governor by circumstances.