The governors of Kogi, Adamawa, Sokoto, Bayelsa and Cross Rivers will on January 31, 2011 know their fate when judgment in their suit seeking elongation of their tenure of office to 2012 would be delivered.

Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja fixed the judgment date after counsels to the governors adopted their briefs of arguments.

The counsels in their brief asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) from conducting elections in the five states next year because the tenure of the sitting governors would still be subsisting.

They informed the court that INEC came into the wrong conclusion that the tenure of the governors will expire in 2011 based on the court voided elections of April 14, 2007.

Lawyer representing Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State, Prince Lateef Fagbemi told the court that the tenure of the governors cannot lapse in 2011 because they took oath of office and oath of allegiance in 2008 after those of the 2007 had been voided and set aside by different courts.

This position was also supported by the counsel representing Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Chief Paul Erokoro.

In its strong opposition to the bid of the governors to have their tenure elongated, the Federal Government and INEC objected to the hearing of the case by the court and pleaded that the case be dismissed because it lacks merit.