Naija News

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, cleared the air on the situation in Kogi State and maintained that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who emerged as winner of the December 3, 2011 election conducted by the commission in the state remains the Governor of the state.
INEC also directed that Wada be sworn-in immediately.
The electoral body also dashed the hope of embattled former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, saying only candidates who emerged after the Court of Appeal judgment of Friday April 15, 2011 are the recognised candidates for the elections.
The Commission’s position was declared in Abuja by Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, after a lengthy meeting with most of the National Commissioners in attendance.
According to reports, the gates of the government house in Lokoja known as Lugard House was eventually opened to Captain Wada and his Deputy, Yomi Awoniyi, an architect, at about 1:20 p.m. yesterday.
There was, however, some uncertainty as to who will occupy the Government House earlier in the day, especially before INEC’s pronouncement.
In the early hours of yesterday, Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Abdullahi Bello, sworn in as acting governor immediately after Supreme Court’s judgement on Friday debunked news reports that he had relinquished the position for the governor-elect, Idris Wada. And he promptly demonstrated that he was at the helms by announcing the sack of the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff and all other political appointees ”with immediate effect.”
INEC knocks out Sylva from Bayelsa race
Meantime, the INEC Chairman, Prof Jega, has said the commission’s time-table for governorship elections in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Cross River and Sokoto states remained unchanged, adding that only candidates who emerged after the Court Appeal judgment of April 15, 2011 would participate in the forth-coming polls.
This effectively knocks out ex-governor Timipre Sylva from  the governorship race under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, since the nomination that threw him up as a candidate took place in January 2011
Jega’s statement read: “It would be recalled that the Supreme Court on Friday January 27,  2012 delivered a judgment that the tenure of office of five governors, namely Adamawa, Bayelsa, Cross River, Kogi and Sokoto States expired on May 28, 2011.
“This Commission having carefully studied the judgment and after due consultation with its legal team has decided as follows: That the Kogi State governorship election which took place on December 3, 2011 is a concluded election and therefore the Governor-elect should be sworn in immediately; that the dates for the remaining governorship elections are as follows- Adamawa, Saturday February 4, 2012; Bayelsa, Saturday, February 11th, 2012; Sokoto, February 18th, 2012 and Cross River, Saturday, February 25th, 2012. This decision has been taken after due consideration of the logistics, operational and administrative requirements to ensure free, fair and credible elections.”
“The Commission wishes to state that only candidates who emerged after the Court of Appeal judgment of Friday April 15th, 2011 are the recognized candidates for the elections”.