The Supreme Court upholds Ododo’s election as Kogi Governor, dismissing Ajaka’s appeal and finalizing the governorship contest.

Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been confirmed as the legitimate victor in the Kogi State governorship election held on November 11, 2023, by the Supreme Court.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Muritala Ajaka, who contested the election results suffered a major blow with the ruling.

The verdict was delivered by a group of judges consisting of five members from the highest court, headed by Justice Sadiq Umar. They rejected the SDP and Ajaka’s appeal as it held no justification in their opinion. The Apex Court cleared Ododo and APC on all three points raised against them by the appellants.

The ruling made by the Appeal Court is a result of their previous decision to support the judgment passed in favor of Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

A three-member panel led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi on July 11th dismissed SDP and Ajaka’s claim as they could not provide enough evidence for election irregularities or forgery which are essential requirements under law.

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Justice Otisi concurred with the tribunal’s previous ruling that had disregarded the evidence submitted by petitioners as “documentary hearsay” and ruled their witnesses incompetent due to non-adherence to electoral laws.

In addition, the tribunal declined accusations of forgery against Ododo, arguing they were pre-election issues best addressed in a Federal High Court rather than during election proceedings at the tribunal.

Ododo’s victory was initially affirmed by the tribunal on May 27, 2024. The allegation of over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 made against him were dismissed as unsubstantiated by a unanimous panel of justices who found no credible evidence to support their claim.

In Kogi State’s November 2023 election, Ododo secured a decisive victory over Ajaka by a significant margin. Despite the SDP challenging the outcome, multiple court rulings have upheld Ododo’s win as legitimate.

The attempt made by Ajaka and the SDP to dispute INEC’s announcement of Ododo as the victor has been definitively rejected by the country’s supreme court.