Ajimobi vs PDP Tribunal delivers judgment tomorrow

Posted by admin Headlines, Oyo, State News Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

THE governorship election petitions tribunal in Oyo State will deliver its judgment in a petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the state governor, Senator Abiola Aji-mobi, tomorrow.

The party had, in the suit, alleged that the governor was not qualified to contest the governorship election, because he holds dual citizenship.

The PDP alleged that Senator Ajimobi was not eligible to contest the said election, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the United States of America, in contravention of the provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and was maintaining the status at the time he contested the election.

The grounds of non-qualification of Senator Ajimobi, according to the state PDP, was that the governor, although a citizen of Nigeria by birth, voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the United States of America on April 1, 1999.

The petitioner placed reliance at the trial on the documents from the American Embassy in Nigeria as to the citizenship status of Senator Ajimobi, documents from the US as to the citizenship status of the governor, his international passport and certificate of citizenship.

However, at the trial, the petitioner could only tender the data page of the international passport of the governor, obtained through immigration officials while it could not produce any document from the American Embassy in Lagos or the US.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Mua’zu Abdulkadir Pindiga from Gombe State, has Justice Abdulkadir Idris Kutigi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Justice Omukoro Ebiyerin of the Bayelsa State as members.

-Tribunewp_posts