Federal high court sacks Kogi senator saying he was wrongly presented as a candidate

SENATOR Atai Aidoko representing Kogi East Senatorial District in the National assembly has been sacked by a federal high court in Abuja after it ruled that he was wrongly presented as a candidate in 2015.

Elected as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in February 2015, Senator Aidoko is one of two senators elected in Kogi State on the PDP platform. Senator Dino Melaye, who represents Kogi West, makes up the third senator representing the state in the National assembly and is the only one who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Yesterday, the federal high court presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, ruled that Senator Aidoko was wrongly presented as the PDP flagbearer in the December 2014 primaries. Following the presentation of Senator Aidoko as the party’s flagbearer, his challenger, Isaac Alfa, began a legal battle for the nullification of the election.

An appeal court had ordered the parties to return to the trial court to allow it determine the rightful owner of the suit, thus rendering the seat vacant. However, Senator Aidoko refused vacating the office and has appeared repeatedly at Senate plenaries since then.

Yesterday, however, the matter was resolved as the court sacked him and ordered the PDP and Senator Aidoko to pay Mr Alfa N750,000 each. It is not yet clear if Senator Aidoko will challenge the court decision again or accept it.