Victor Ezeja
Usman Ahmed Ododo’s election as Kogi State governor has been upheld by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja.
A three-member panel of the appellate court upheld the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s ruling, which recognised Ododo as the legitimately elected governor of Kogi State following the election held on 11 November 2023.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMurtala Yakubu Ajaka, the candidate for the Social Democratic Party, filed an appeal, but the court rejected it.
While dismissing the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate for governor, Murtala Ajaka, on all four grounds of appeal, the Appellate Court found that the petitioners could not establish every one of their claims beyond a reasonable doubt.
READ ALSO: INEC Declares APC’s Ododo Winner Of Kogi Governorship Election
The court further decided that the case involving Ododo and the purported certificate forgery should have started at the Federal High Court because it is a pre-election matter.
Back story
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Usman Ododo, winner of the fiercely contested Kogi State Governorship Election.
With 446,237 votes, Ododo defeated Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Murtala Ajaka, who received 259,052 votes, the closest rival. Dino Melaye, a candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), got 46,362 votes.
Ajaka filed a petition at the tribunal, expressing dissatisfaction with the election results and requesting an injunction compelling INEC to hold new elections in roughly five LGAs.
The SDP and its candidate contested the poll, citing voting irregularities, forgeries, and violations of the Electoral Act.
However, the tribunal ruled that the petitioner could not prove, among other things, that the governor tendered a forged certificate, and therefore dismissed the petition and upheld Ododo’s election.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
