Political parties that are taking part in the Kogi State governorship election on November 11 are stepping up their campaigns. However, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is in power, still has fractures.
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Senator Smart Adeyemi is a contender who is challenging the results of the primaries that led to Usman Ododo being selected as the nominee.
Ododo won, and the Appeal Court upheld his victory. Adeyemi, however, is not happy and has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.
He is upset that only 11 of Kogi’s 239 wards’ results were made public following the primary.
According to him, the strategy was incorrect and went against the election rules, which stated that the shadow poll’s foundation should be “ward by ward” rather than local government.
Adeyemi believes that the supreme court’s decision is final and will become case law.
In addition, he stated that the primary need to be interpreted in light of the belief that Mohammed Bello Matawale, the chairman of the Kogi State Primary Election, broke APC guidelines by departing the state before to the primary.
The APC believes that it has won and lost the primary. Adeyemi, on the other hand, disagreed, arguing that the court must make the final decision.
“If you know my background, you will understand why I approach everything I do with tenacity and purpose,” he remarked. Being in the Senate when the Electoral Act of 2022 was changed was a blessing.
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The legislature is a defining feature of democracy. Democracy is represented by the National Assembly. It makes a distinction between the civilian and military governments. It is democracy’s lifeblood.
The laws that were created by that organization ought to be read and understood according to their provisions. Furthermore, you don’t need to be a lawyer to recognize when you are at blame or guilty. I have the hubris to say that I contributed to the law’s drafting.
In order to determine whether the law is effective in a court that can provide justice, Adeyemi, the former president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said he made the decision to appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The 2022 Electoral Act states that ward-by-ward direct primary elections must be held,” he stated. That is the most important clause. not the seat of the municipal government. There are perhaps 2,000 people living in my ward, which also serves as both the ward and local government headquarters.
The candidate declared that he had remained true to his decision to take the case objectively and without bias, all the way to the end.
“The chairman of the panel left at the time they were to conduct the election,” Adeyemi continued. The state of Kogi has 239 wards. Out of 239 wards, the results of 11 wards are presented to their lordships.
“I went to the supreme court because it is a court of justice as well as law. The Supreme Court’s decision to declare that the outcomes of 11 wards are better than those of 239 wards is definitive. Nothing can be placed on nothing. Lord Denning settled it a long time ago.
The voting process resembles a pyramid, according to a court. The groundwork needs to be done first. The PDP and LP filed complaints of malpractices to the presidential tribunal, but the tribunal noted that they had only presented 11 wards from Koto Kalfe and had not shown any results to support their claims.
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Politicians should understand the regulations and follow them, according to Adeyemi. “In Nigeria, there is no conscience. Your conscience is your religion. Regretfully, in Nigeria, people tend to disregard religion when they wish to steal money or perpetrate crimes. They steal money by plotting together. They lose sight of justice,” he raged.
“We are talking about 239 results,” Adeyemi stated, rejecting the lower court’s decision. The results of eleven wards were presented. How in the world can that stand up to the real justice test? We are not discussing elections for local government. This election is for the state. You brought 11 of the 239 wards to court.
“The Supreme Court is currently in our case, and any ruling it makes becomes case law. The Supreme Court has established new legislation, or case law, if it upholds the previous ruling.
It is untrue that the party and the administration will not support me if I win. Everyone supports you while you are in government, regardless of how well you are doing.
Prior to the primary, Adeyemi declared his closeness with Governor Yahaya Bello, the leader of the state party. He characterised their friendship as reciprocal. While he appreciated the gesture when he decided to rejoin the Senate, he also said that he managed his campaign for reelection.
“I oversaw his reelection campaign as director general. He emphasized that Kogi West and Kogi Central cast their votes collectively in favor of Yahaya Bello winning.
Adeyemi has been criticized by Ododo supporters as a lousy loser. He disagreed with the categorization, claiming that he had the right to contest the outcome in court as an educated individual.
By bringing the platform to court, is the senator not also acting against the party’s interests?
“I am still in APC,” declared Adeyemi. Have you witnessed me criticizing the administration or my party? This administration is democratic. Our government is not military. It is our right to pursue justice.
“To be democratic is not to remain silent when someone puts sand in your mouth. Being able to accomplish what others are unable to is what defines a leader.
“Martin Luther King Jr. once observed that a man’s true character is revealed in his actions during difficult and contentious times, rather than in his position of comfort and convenience. That’s what makes a man a man.
Adeyemi also thinks that President Bola Tinubu, the leader of the National Party, is aware of his viewpoint on the subject.
“The president will not request that I give up on defending my rights or avoid going to court.He’s not going to do that. The president is too preoccupied to take part in any of these. There’s the party. “All of these things are known to the party chairman,” he remarked.
Adeyemi stated that he supports power shifts and zoning, citing the marginalization of his home area, Kogi West.
“This is not a personal case,” he said. Kogi West has not produced a governor in the previous 32 years. We are not illiterate; rather, we are among the most educated people in Northern Nigeria. I am fighting for my people’s rights. There have been two governors from the Ebira people.
