Kogi Guber: Wada Competence Challenge

A Party member, Femi Joseph has called on the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Musa Wada, from Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State.

The request is contained in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1147/2019 filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja by a party member, Femi Joseph.

The plaintiff, in the suit with the PDP, Wada and INEC as defendants, alleged that the PDP candidate forged his primary school certificate, which he filed in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form CF001, was false.

In the suit filed for the plaintiff by his lawyer, Mike Enahoro Ebah, the plaintiff argued that by virtue of Section 31(5) & (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), he reasonably believes that the information supplied by the PDP candidate in both his Form CF001 and the attached first school leaving certificate, as to his primary school education, were false.

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Joseph wants the court to declare that the 3rd defendant’s (Wada’s) INEC Form CFOO1 and the primary school certificate, bearing number: 910922, attached therewith and submitted to the second defendant (INEC) by the first and third defendants (PDP and Wada), contain false information regarding the third defendant’s primary school certificate.

He also wants the court to declare that having regard to the clear and unambiguous provisions of Section 31 (5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (As Amended), vis-a-vis third defendant’s INEC Form CFOO1 and the primary school certificate, bearing number: 910922, attached therewith and submitted to the second defendant by the first and third defendants, the said 3rd defendant is disqualified from contesting the Kogi State governorship election slated for 16th day of November 2019, for submitting to the 2nd defendant false information regarding the 3rd defendant’s primary school certificate.

The plaintiff is equally praying the court for an order disqualifying Wada from contesting the Kogi State governorship election slated for 16th day of November, 2019, for submitting to the 2nd defendant in his INEC Form CFOO1 and the documents attached therewith, false information concerning his primary school certificate.

Joseph also wants an order restraining the INEC from accepting the 3rd defendant as a candidate to contest the Kogi State governorship election slated for 16th day of November, 2019.

He is equally seeking an order restraining Wada from parading or holding himself out as governorship candidates in the Kogi State governorship election slated for 16th day of November 2019.

While the PDP has responded to the suit, Wada has yet to file any response to the case instituted on September 27, 2019.

A similar suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/ 1375/2019 and filed by a lawyer, Sunday Ehimoni, before the Federal High Court in Abuja is also seeking Wada’s disqualification for allegedly having mental health history.

Ehimoni wants the court to, among others, “determine whether going by his medical records the candidate of the PDP, Musa Wada, ought not to be declared and certified lunatic and a person of unsound mind, sanctioned for providing false information to INEC on his forms and prevented from contesting . It will be recalled that social media and the press became awash last week with Wada’s medical records from the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos State, after they were leaked by unknown persons. “