Kogi PDP Crisis: Declare me winner, Abubakar urges court

Abubakar’s Ibrahim


Abubakar Ibrahim a major contender for the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship ticket for the forthcoming November election in Kogi State, has opened his case at State High Court insisting he won the Sept. 3rd Primary.

Abubakar made the revelation when the suit to determine the rightful owner of the ticket came up for hearing today in Lokoja, with the trial judge assuring that judgment on the matter would be delivered before the election date.

The matter has been adjourned for parties in the suit to continue hearing and defence, this came after several legal fire works from senior legal luminaries that held the court spell bound.

The suit challenging the outcome of the primaries came up for definite hearing at the Lokoja High Court 4, presided over by Justice Richard Olorunfemi and saw the main challenger, Abubakar Ibrahim mount the witness box.

In his submission, Abubakar first runner up in the PDP primaries while in the witness box for four hours, asked the court to declare him the winner of the PDP primaries.

According to him, his submissions and documents, tendered and marked as exhibits by the court showed that he is the rightful owner of the PDP ticket and prayed the court to help retrieve his mandate.

In their cross examination, counsel to the the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants, M.S. Ibrahim, J.S. Okutepa and A.N. Makwe, during cross examination, drilled the claimant on his various submissions.

Earlier, Otaru R. Otaru, SAN, counsel to Abubakar Ibrahim, tendered documents submitted by INEC marked as exhibits, while that of the Commissioner of Police was received but not marked as exhibit C1 to C14.

In his ruling, Justice Olorunfemi, said time is of essence in the matter and urged that efforts should be made to fast track the process. He further urged parties to make their addresses on the scheduled date as the court must make its final pronoucement on the matter before November 16, date of the election.

The trial judge in his ruling adjourned the matter for Friday 1st, November.