The Supreme Court has confirmed the election victory of Usman Ododo from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kogi State governorship election held on November 11, 2023. On Friday, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by Muritala Ajaka, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), marking an end to the legal challenge.
Justice Sadiq Umar, who delivered the lead judgment, stated that the appeal brought forward by Ajaka and the SDP lacked merit. The court resolved all three issues in the case against the appellants, effectively upholding Ododo’s win.
Earlier, on July 11, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal had also dismissed the case brought by Ajaka and the SDP. The Appeal Court agreed with the decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had previously ruled in favor of Ododo. The appellate court emphasized that the SDP and Ajaka failed to provide sufficient evidence to back up their claims of election irregularities.
In addition to the SDP’s appeal, the court also dismissed similar appeals by the Action Alliance (AA) and its candidate, Olayinka Braimoh, as well as the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and its candidate, Dr. Abdullahi Bayawo. These appeals had also challenged the validity of Ododo’s election.
Justice Onyekachi Otisi, delivering the Appeal Court’s judgment on the SDP’s case, agreed with the tribunal’s earlier ruling that the evidence presented by the petitioners was inadmissible. The court highlighted that the allegations of forgery against Ododo’s documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were pre-election issues, which should have been addressed before the election by the Federal High Court, not during the tribunal’s proceedings.
Moreover, the court reiterated that claims of forgery must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, a standard that the appellants failed to meet. As a result, all the issues raised in the appeal were resolved against the appellants.
The tribunal’s decision on May 27 had already dismissed the SDP’s petition, affirming Ododo’s victory. The tribunal found the petition to be lacking in substance, citing that the evidence presented was inconsistent and insufficient to prove claims of over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The tribunal also supported the respondents’ arguments that allegations of forgery were matters to be dealt with before the election and should have been raised shortly after the documents were submitted to INEC.
In the November 11, 2023, off-cycle election, Usman Ododo of the APC was declared the winner by INEC, defeating his main opponent, Muritala Ajaka of the SDP, by a significant margin. Unhappy with the result, Ajaka and his party took the matter to the tribunal, and subsequently to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, but their claims have now been conclusively rejected at all levels.
This final ruling by the Supreme Court solidifies Ododo’s position as the governor of Kogi State, putting an end to the legal disputes surrounding the election.
