Court says no governorship polls in Bayelsa, Kogi, three others

The Nation

23 Feb 2011

Court says no governorship polls in Bayelsa, Kogi, three others

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja today ruled that there will be no governorship elections in fives states. Justice Adamu Bello, this afternoon, said the governors of Kogi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Bayelsa and Cross River states would stay in office till 2012.

The trial justice said this is as a result of the nullification of their election of April 2007. He said their tenure began after they took their last oath of office.

The governors last year dragged the Independent National Electoral commission and the Peoples Democratic Party to court after INEC released a tentative election time table which indicated that the 2011 elections will hold in their  states.

They  urged the court to rely on the Supreme Court decision in the case of Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State against INEC which said the tenure started from the date of oath of allegiance and oath of office.

The affected governors will end as follows: Governor Ibrahim Idris – 2012; Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto – 28 May, 2012; Murtala Nyako of Adamawa – 30 April 2012; Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa – 29 May, 2012, and Liyel Imoke of Cross River – 28 August, 2012.