By Rotimi Ajayi & Abayomi Adesida
ABUJA— Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party last night intervened in the seeming political impasse that would have broken out in Kogi State if it had carried out the Federal Governments instruction that the Speaker of the State House of Assembly take over as the acting governor following the Supreme Court’s judgment sacking the five PDP governors.

The Party last said the Speaker should revert to his position as Speaker and allow the Governor-elect of the State, Alhaji Idris Wada to take over the affairs of the State.

The leaders took the decision at a meeting held at the State House Abuja last night following the controversy that followed the Friday Supreme Court decision removing Five Governors.

The Court decision had resulted in the immediate ouster of the former Governor of the State Ibrahim Idris.

Following the decision, two different judicial officers had sworn in both the Speaker of the House and Alhaji Wada, who had emerged the winner of the recent governorship election in the state.

According to a reliable source at yesterday,s meeting, the confusion created in Kogi had led the PDP leaders to call the Speaker and the Governor elect to a meeting at State House, Abuja.

During the meeting, the leaders were said to have persuaded the Speaker to surrender the position since he would be in acting capacity.

It was learnt that the leaders had pointed out that since there was no plan to conduct fresh election in the State, the Governor-elect and his Deputy, Chief Yomi Awoniyi, should be allowed to start running their mandate.

The source further revealed that allowing the Governor-elect and His Deputy to take over would bring peace to the State.

The Speaker was said to have agreed to the decision of the party leaders.

The meeting was Presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan

Those who attended the meeting, included Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Ndoma Egba, who represented the Senate President, David Mark.

Others were Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, the National Legal Officer of the Party, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the two contenders to the Governorship seat in Kogi, and the Deputy Governor-elect, Yomi Awoniyi and the ousted Governor of the State, Ibrahim Idris.

The Attorney General of the Federation had sequel to the ruling of the Supreme Court, directed Speakers of the five states of Kogi, Cross River, Adamawa, Bayelsa and Sokoto, which were affected by the ruling, to take over governance in the states in acting capacity in line w the Constitution.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/kogi-pdp-overrules-fg-returns-wada-as-gov/

Der decision was right cos a governor ve been elected prior to d supreme court judgement,i tink he ought to b sworn in immidately &not d speaker.

Der decision was right cos a governor ve been elected prior to d supreme court judgement,i tink he ought to b sworn in immidately &not d speaker.

The right thing is always right irrespective of the dictate of the paper tiger called constitution

That was the correct thing to do.

well, the speaker should know better,

Should that not be a matter for INEC and the courts? PDP constitution is not Nigeria's constitution. I'm surprised at some of the 'countryman' responses here.

This issue also calls into question the madness occasioned by the quest for power. What in the devils name would warrant the speaker to consent to have himself sworn in as Ag. Gov. when his party and the state has an elected Gov in the wait. God forbid.
I'm equally happy that this would finally lay to rest the conspiratorial attempt by both the Speaker and the 'useless' CJ to subvert the law, throw up the polity into chaos for their selfish interests.
People should learn to say NO to some offers.

Comedy of highest order.

PDP is now the one that interpret the law.

Like nigeria, judiciary is a joke.

Key Laws in the Constitution


OATH OF OFFICE:
185. (1) A person elected to the office of the Governor of a State shall not begin to perform the functions of that until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution and has subsequently taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution.
(2) The Oath of Allegiance and the oath of office shall be administered by the Chief Judge of the State or Grand Kadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal of the State, if any or President of the Customary Court of Appeal of the State, if any, or the person for the time being respectively appointed to exercise the functions of any of those offices in any State.
WHEN THERE IS A SUCCESSOR IN WAITING

180. (1) subject to the provisions of this Constitution, a person shall hold the office of Governor of a State until -
(a) When his successor in office takes the oath of that office; or
(b) he dies whilst holding such office; or
(c) the date when his resignation from office takes effect; or
(d) he otherwise ceases to hold office in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.
(2) Subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the Governor shall vacate his office at the expiration of period of four years commencing from the date when -
(a) in the case of a person first elected as Governor under this Constitution, he took the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office; and
(b) the person last elected to that office took the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office or would, but for his death, have taken such oaths.
81. (1) If a person duly elected as Governor dies before taking and subscribing the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office, or is unable for any reason whatsoever to be sworn in, the person elected with him as Deputy governor shall be sworn in as Governor and he shall nominate a new Deputy-Governor who shall be appointed by the Governor with the approval of a simple majority of the House of Assembly of the State.
(2) Where the persons duly elected as Governor and Deputy Governor of a State die or are for any reason unable to assume office before the inauguration of the house of Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall immediately conduct an election for a Governor and Deputy Governor of the State.

INCASE THERE IS NO SUCCESSOR
191. (1) The Deputy Governor of a State shall hold the office of Governor of the State if the office of Governor becomes vacant by reason of death, resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal of the governor from office for any other reason in accordance with section 188 or 189 of this constitution.
(2) Where any vacancy occurs in the circumstances mentioned in subsection (1) of this section during a period when the office of Deputy Governor of the State is also vacant, the Speaker of the House of Assembly of the State shall hold the office of Governor of the State for a period of not more than three months, during which there shall be an election of a new Governor of the State who shall hold office for the unexpired term of office of the last holder of the office.

[size=64pt]PDPPPPP !!!!![/size]

Chei. Dem take garri comot for speaker mouth.

What is the speaker's name and why dont they want him? I smell a rat.

The case is not as straight forward as people are viewing it. The court needs to pronounce whether the election of Capt. Wada as Governor-elect is still valid or not considering that the election was conducted in a period that has now been declared void. Even if the PDP settles it as 'family affairs', I am sure the opposition would definitely challenge this in court.

What nonsence! The supreme court has passed a judgement. Whats the fuss about a speaker bcoming a governor in kogi state? Why exactly are they so particular about Kogi state?

The fact of the matter is that the election that produced Idris Wada and Yomi Awoniyi lacks legal backing. This simply means that the election is null and void following the supreme court judgement.
What PDP has just done shows that they lack understanding of the law.
Anyway, let's see where this will take them to.

The election dat brought idris wada into power was null and void according to supreme court judgement. in law you can't get something out of nothing. i tink d speaker shud be sworn in

in the eye of the law there is no wada . There wold have been primaries before may 28.
PDP is just a party,they just want cause problem bw the speaker and the wada .the law is clear.wada never existed .

the speaker will be there.the guy that won the pdp primaries b4 like sylvia is the pdp candidate and end of story.surpreme court have spoken

I feel this decision is right.

I am surprised that everyone has failed to notice the caption "PDP OVERRULES FG"

Der decision was right cos a governor ve been elected prior to d supreme court judgement,i tink he ought to b sworn in immidately &not d speaker.

@D sage,
a senator went and marry an under aged girl and when he was confronted, he said he is a muslim and as such obey the sharia laws and not nigerian constitution. i guess that was the right thing to say and do, abi?
pdp is the problem of nigeria as they always bend the laws and shift the posts for their personal interests.
what we have here is a lawless jungle where might is just.
it is a shame that we have a president who cannot win the president of benin republic in an election not with all his delegates.

Banana Republic

Papa Deceive Pikin

I fear 4 naija when supreme court will always be making a mockery of of the law that govern us as a people that is how they made a man a Gov.when he didn't contest election when commonsense demand them 2 call 4 a fresh election, with the man actually contesting,now again they shld hav omitted kogi state frm the jugement since there is a gov.elect in waiting, i think those pple are getting too senile which is affecting their sense of jugement,i think they shld retire honorable before they start to droppin death frm they bench due to old age na by force to alway be sitten on the bench.

Security oufit has been restored to Wada and he's currently the one occupying the govt house in kogi state. INEC stated that he (WAda) should be sworn in.

NIJA! Kogi state is now govern under the constitution of pdp not FRN or INEC.

i don't think this is right, if not Andy Uba of anambra state should have taken over from Peter Obi after Obi's first term

emiye:

i don't think this is right, if not Andy Uba of anambra state should have taken over from Peter Obi after Obi's first term

The election that produced andy uba was illegal, the governorship seat that was contested for was not vacant or about to be vacant, Obi and his party did not particpate in the election and they went to court on these grounds and won.

Knight1:

The election that produced andy uba was illegal, the governorship seat that was contested for was not vacant or about to be vacant, Obi and his party did not particpate in the election and they went to court on these grounds and won.

The PDP primaries that produced Wada is also flawed/illegal.  Who won the earlier primary in January 2011 in anticipation for  the April 2011 election?

pdp