Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has described Supreme Court judgments upholding his re-election for a second term as affirmation of mandate entrusted to him by the people at the November 16, 2019 polls.
Bello, who disclosed this while reacting to the Supreme Court judgments on Monday, assured the people that his administration would continue to do more for the people in line with his campaign slogan.
In a statement by Onogwu Muhammed, his Chief Press Secretary, Bello said the Apex Court’s decision was an affirmation of the identical positions on the matters taken by the erudite jurists at the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.
The governor commended the panel of Jurists, led by Justice Ibrahim Muhammadu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, which heard the appeals, and Justice Uwani Abba Aji, who read the judgment alone.
Bello commended the court for its uprightness and erudition of the jurists, thanked people of the state for casting their votes for him and joining him to defend the mandate till the end.
The governor used the moment to pay glowing tributes to Dr. Michael Ameh-Oboni II, the Attah of Igala, who passed away on August 27.
He described the late traditional ruler as a “unifier” and great supporter of his administration, a father and a wise counsellor.
The governor called on opposition parties, their candidates and supporters to forgo all forms of bitterness, acrimony and divisions and join hands with him to take Kogi to the next level.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Bello, All Progressives Congress candidate in the November 16 election, polled a total of 406,222 votes against his closest rival, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Musa Wada, who polled 189,704 votes with a winning margin of 216,518 votes.
The Supreme Court on August 25 heard appeals filed by the Democratic Peoples Party, Social Democratic Party and PDP against earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal affirming the governor’s re-election.
