The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday affirmed the decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which declared Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo as the duly winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Kogi State.
The court gave the ruling while delivering judgment in appeal case filed before it by the SDP and its candidate in the election, Muritala Ajaka.
The Appeal Court consequently dismissed the suit as filed by the petitioners.
Both SDP and Ajaka had earlier approached the tribunal, asking it void the results of the election results and direct the INEC to conduct a fresh election in five local governments.
But the tribunal turned down their petitions and declared Ododo and APC as winners of the election.
The petitioners then took the case to the Court of Appeal for a review.
But in its judgment of Thursday, a three – man panel of Appeal Court agreed with the tribunal that Ajaka’s witnesses were incompetent because their statements did not accompany the petition in line with electoral laws.
The Appeal Court also held that the issue of alleged certificate forgery ought to have commenced at a Federal High Court.
Subsequently, the Appeal Court held that the appellant could not prove its case “beyond reasonable doubt”, thereby upholding Ododo’s election.
Recalled that the INEC through Returning Officer, Prof Johnson Urama, announced Ododo as the winner of the election.
According to the announced results, Ododo polled 446,237 votes, to beat his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who scored 259,052, while Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 46,362 votes
