Abubakar Ibrahim insists, I’m the owner of the mandate
The main challenger to the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship ticket for the forthcoming November election in Kogi State, Abubakar Ibrahim, says he is the rightful owner of the mandate.
Abubakar Ibrahim made the revelation when the suit to determine the rightful owner of the Governorship ticket of the Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party for the November 16, governorship came up for hearing, with the trial judge insisting 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 PDP governorship primaries came up for definite hearing at the Lokoja High Court 4 today, presided over by Justice Richard Olorunfemi, saw the main challenger, Abubakar Ibrahim mount the witness box.
In his submission, Abubakar Ibrahim, major contender and second runner up in the PDP primaries while in the witness box for four hours, submitted by asking the court to declare him the winner of the PDP September 3rd primaries.
According to him, his submissions and documents, tended and marked, accepted as exhibits by the court showed that he is the rightful owner of the PDP ticket, prayed the court to return 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, urged that efforts should be made to fast track process, urged parties to make their addresses on the scheduled date as the court must make its final pronouncement on the matter before November 16, date of the Kogi State election.
The trial judge in his ruling adjourned the matter for Friday 1st, November 2019.
