Appeal Court Affirms Ododo’s Election as Kogi Gov

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Murtala Ajaka, yesterday  lost at the Court of Appeal, in his bid to unseat Governor Ahmed Ododo as governor of Kogi State.

Ododo had few months back also lost at the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal, where he had first challenged the declaration of Ododo and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the November 11, 2023, governorship election in Kogi State.

Delivering judgement in Ajaka and his party’s appeal against the judgement of the tribunal, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in a judgement delivered by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, held that the appellants could not provide credible evidence that the judgement of the tribunal was perverse.

Besides, the appellate court held that the issue of forgery against Ododo was a pre-election matter, which was outside the jurisdiction of the court.

Meanwhile, the appellate court said the tribunal, which sat in Abuja was right to have expunged the evidence of the first witness called by the petitioners for been hearsay documents.

According to the court, the allegation of forgery of document which Ododo submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a pre-election matter which is handled by the Federal High Court and not the Tribunal.

Having resolved all the issues raised in the appeal against the appellants, the court dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit and upheld the judgement of the Tribunal.

Meanwhile, Ajaka yesterday  alleged that some irregularities and manipulations influenced the outcome of the petition he filed along with his party against the election of Ododo at the Court of Appeal.

In a statement made available to newsmen after the judgement, the SDP candidate said he will appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal, adding that the journey to reclaiming his stolen mandate is not limited to the decision of the appellate court.

He said: “We must remain relentless in our pursuit of justice. We cannot afford to be deterred by setbacks or disheartened by temporary defeats. Our cause is just, and our determination will not waver. We must stand united and continue to support our legal team as they navigate these complex legal waters on our behalf.

“I want to assure you, our political followers, that victory is within our grasp. We firmly believe that the truth will prevail, and justice will be served. We have full faith in the Nigerian judicial system, and we are confident that the apex court will rectify the injustices that have been inflicted upon us once again.”

He called on all his supporters to remain calm and peaceful in the face of, “this disappointment and injustice.”