Group calls on Senate President to obey court order on Kogi East Senatorial district

The Middle Belt Movement for Justice and Peace (MBMJP) has called on  the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki to comply with court orders by swearing  in Air Marshal Isaac Alfa as the  lawmaker representing Kogi East senatorial district.

Leader of the group,  Comrade Joe Bukka, who  made the call on Saturday, in Makurdi hinged it on the subsisting court decision, which ordered  the Senate president and Clerk of the National Assembly to swear in Alfa as a member of the Senate.

The group, said tussle for the seat started after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), primaries in December 2014 between Air Marshal Alfa and Senator Attai Aidoko after the victory of the former was allegedly overturned through falsified documents.

“But, Isaac Alfa approached an Abuja Federal High Court, where Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, on April 18, 2016, declared him the rightful candidate and winner of the Kogi East seat. Senator Aidoko appealed and got a judgment at the Court of Appeal on December 14, 2016 which ordered that a Certificate of Return should be issued to him even when it was not part of the reliefs he sought.

ALSO READ: See the ‘Starboy’ garage

“Not satisfied, Isaac Alfa approached the Supreme Court, and on June 16, 2017, the Apex Court remitted the case back to the Federal High Court, for fresh trial before a different Judge and to take oral pleadings from parties which effectively rendered the Senate seat vacant.

“And on June 13, 2018, Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Abuja Federal High Court in his ruling, held that Senator Aidoko was not even qualified to have been nominated by the PDP to contest the senatorial general election in 2015.

“He ordered that the INEC should forthwith withdraw the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Senator Aidoko and issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Alfa after which he awarded a cost N750,000 each against the PDP and the Senator.

“The Senate President and the Clerk of the National Assembly were also directed to take immediate steps to swear in Alfa as member of the Senate of the 8th Assembly and cease to give any recognition and attachments of the privileges of office to Senator Aidoko,” the group alleged.