A group, the Kogi Destiny Defence Forum, has urged an aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Kogi governorship election crisis, Jibrin Isah Echocho, to stop distorting facts concerning the judgement of the Supreme Court on the December 3, 2011 governorship election that produced the Governor of the state, Captain Idris Wada.
A statement signed by the group’s President, ThankGod Onu; Secretary, Kelvin Okah; and Publicity Secretary, Adeyemi John, said the position of the court on the issue remains clear and coherent enough to any discerning mind.
The group said: “According to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who read the unanimous verdict, a consequential order must also be based on reliefs sought by parties in a matter ab initio.
“Thus, the court declined to oblige the PDP and other litigants, including one Jibrin Isah Echocho, any order whatsoever.”
The group then wondered why Echocho is still parading himself as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Kogi State, adding: “He effectively relinquished the mandate he is laying claims to, by participating in the September 22 governorship primaries of the party, where Wada emerged as the PDP standard bearer, before emerging as the governor of the state at the poll.
“As hard as they labour to obfuscate issues, they cannot run away from the established fact that Jibrin Isa Echocho voluntarily went to the PDP headquarters in Abuja to collect a refund of N5 million he deposited to buy nomination form to contest the so-called January primaries.
“That the said Echocho purchased a new Expression of Interest (EI) form, a new nomination form and submitted himself for screening, travelling all the way to Nasarawa State on September 18, 2011 for the exercise.
“The said Jibrin Isah Echocho was also in Lokoja, moving from one hotel to the other on the night of September 21 up to the wee hours of September 22 and went into the polls where he scored a single vote in an election that was televised.”