Smart Adeyemi, Achimugu Lose Appeals against Ahmed Ododo’s Nomination 

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Two aspirants under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Smart Adeyemi and Mr. Abubakar Achimugu, have lost in their bid to remove Ahmed Ododo as candidate of the party in the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State.

This was following a dismissal of their separate suits by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

The appellate court in their judgements dismissed the appeals seeking to upturn the judgement of a Federal High Court, Abuja in favour of Ododo for lacking in merit.

In the lead judgement delivered by Justice Muhammed Shuaibu, the appellate court held that the former lawmaker failed to prove the criminal allegations in his case.

Justice Lawal held that, the burden of proof lies on the plaintiff who alleges irregularities in the conduct of the primary election of the APC for the nomination of its governorship candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State. He said, “the evidence placed before the trial court by the respondents was not controverted by the appellant in this circumstance, issue one is hereby resolved against the appellant.

“Where commission of a crime is an issue, it must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Allegation of falsification of votes is a criminal act and it is required in law to be proved beyond reasonable doubt, which the appellant could not prove, consequently, issue two is resolved against the appellant.

“On the whole, the appeal is un-meritorious and it is hereby dismissed. The judgement of the lower court is hereby affirmed. Parties are to bear their respective cost,” Justice Shuaibu held.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had, in a judgement delivered on July 12, held that Adeyemi did not prove his allegation that Ododo was not lawfully nominated by the APC.

Adeyemi had alleged in his suit that the primary election that purportedly produced Ododo as the APC governorship candidate did not hold and that the results were forged.

Delivering judgement in the suit marked FHC/CS/556/2023, Justice Omotosho held that Adeyemi’s allegations of results forgery were criminal and must be proved beyond reasonable doubts.

The court noted that the burden of proof was on the applicant to produce the forged results or the original copies of the results to discharge the burden and added that, failure to discharge the burden was fatal to the applicant’s case and further held that, there was evidence that the primary election was validly held and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Dissatisfied with the judgement which affirmed the primary election that produced Ododo as candidate of the party, Adeyemi approached the appellate court to set aside the judgement.

The former lawmaker told the court that Ododo was handpicked as flag-bearer of the party by the outgoing Governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, in gross violation of Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution, Section 29 and 84 of the Electoral Act as well as Article 20 of the Constitution of the APC.

He then prayed the court to order the APC to conduct a fresh primary election and to give all aspirants equal opportunity as prescribed by the Electoral Act, 2022.

But, in his judgement, Justice Omotosho held that the plaintiff did not by way of credible evidence, establish his allegation and said, he found no reason to invalidate the outcome of the primary election and consequently dismissed the suit for lacking in merit.

In the same vein, the appellate court dismissed a similar suit filed by Achimugu for also lacking in merit.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of a Federal High Court, Abuja, in his judgement held that contrary to the claim of Achimugu, evidence showed that Ododo resigned his appointment more than 30 days before participating in the APC primary.

According to Justice Egwuatu, exhibits tendered by the defendants showed that while Ododo’s resignation letter was received by the Office of the Kogi State Governor on March 8, that of the 3rd defendant, Mr. Salami Deedat, was received on March 9.

“Satisfied that they resigned their appointment on March 8 and 9, more than 30 days before the April 14 primary election of the APC, the suit is bereft of any merit and is accordingly dismissed,” the court held.

Achimugu, in a Notice of Appeal filed on July 21 through his counsel, Josiah Daniel-Ebune, said Justice Egwuatu erred in law and occasioned a miscarriage of justice when he held that Ododo and Salami Deedat (2nd and 3rd defendants) duly resigned their appointment and thus, not caught up with the mandatory provision of what the law requires them to do before they participated in the APC’s governorship primary election for Kogi State held on April 15, 2023.

He asked the appellate court for an order setting aside the judgement of the trial court and grant all his reliefs sought in his amended originating summons.