Court Of Appeal Affirms Governor Ododo As Duly Elected Kogi Governor

By Akinwale Kasali

Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State has been affirmed by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State.

The Court upheld the Kogi Governorship Election Tribunal’s verdict that declared Usman Ododo as winner of the 2023 election in the State.

The Appellate Court delivered the judgment after dismissing the appeal brought before it by the Social Development Party, SDP, Governorship Candidate, Murtala Ajaka, who was unsatisfied by the Tribunal’s verdict.

Delivering judgement on Thursday, the Court of Appeal validated the Tribunal’s stance and dismissed the appeal filed by the SDP and Ajaka through their lead Counsel, Pius Akubo.

SDP and Ajaka had approached the Court describing the Tribunal’s  verdict as a miscarriage of justice in deciding the winner of the November 11, 2023 election.

Kogi held its off-cycle election on November 11, 2023, amid allegations of rigging and vote-buying.

Electoral Umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared Ododo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the winner of the election.

In the petition, INEC, Ododo and the APC were listed as the 1st, 2nd and  3rd respondents respectively.

SDP and Ajaka asked the Appellate Court to overturn the earlier judgement that upheld the APC and Ododo and declare them the winners of the election.

The appellants also asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgement of the Justice Ado Yusuf Birnin Kudu-led panel delivered on May 27, and restore the testimony of their first witness and other documents tendered to prove alleged over voting in the election.

The appellants also argued that Ododo was not qualified to contest the election into the office of Governor of Kogi State and that all votes ascribed and/or allocated to him and the APC should be voided.

“An order granting the reliefs sought by the appellants in the petition and thereupon declaring him (the 1st Appellant) as the duly elected governor of Kogi State”.