UPDATED: Supreme Court Upholds Ododo As Validly Elected Kogi Governor

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Usman Ododo of the All Progressive Congress, APC, as the governor of Kogi State.

The Apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, challenging the victory of Ododo at the November 11 governorship election in the state.

Delivering the Lead judgement, Justice Sadiq Abubakar Umar Mohammed Lawal Garba dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

The Supreme Court in the unanimous decision held that Ajaka failed to give cogent and verifiable evidence in the series of allegations against Ododo.

Besides, Justice Umar said that most of the allegations were pre-election matters which ought to have been taken to the federal high court for resolution before the election.

The Supreme Court consequently dismissed the appeal but did not award cost against the appellants.

It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal in Abuja on July 11 in a unanimous judgement affirmed the decision of the Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which declared Ododo as the winner of the governorship election in the state, dismissing an appeal filed by Ajaka.

Dissatisfied, Ajaka and his party, in their appeal marked: SC/CV/654/2024 are asking the Apex Court to set aside the judgement and nullify Ododo’s victory.

The three-member panel of the appellate court in a unanimous judgment also dismissed Ajaka’s appeal against Ododo’s election, for failure to probe their case.

The appellate court had said that the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which sat in Abuja was right to have expunged the evidence of the first witness called by the petitioners for hearsay evidence.

According to the court, the allegation of forgery of documents which Ododo was alleged to have submitted to INEC was declared a pre-election matter which ought to have been handled by the Federal High Court and not the post election Tribunal.