The Nigerian Supreme Court has set Tuesday October 3, as the date for delivering judgment on who runs for the governorship position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upcoming Kogi state gubernatorial election.
News About Nigeria gathered that the lawsuit filed by Senator Smart Adeyemi centers on the contentious APC primary election earlier held in the state,
Adeyemi, the former Senator who represented Kogi West Senatorial District in the Senate, is challenging the legitimacy of the primary election that produced Usman Ododo as the APC’s gubernatorial candidate for the forthcoming November 11 election in Kogi State.
Adeyemi alleges that there were widespread irregularities during the primary election, asserting that it contravened both the Electoral Act and the APC’s guidelines.
He specifically claims that the election results in favour of Ododo were fraudulent and invalid, contending that the primary only took place in 11 out of the 239 wards in the state.
During the hearing, Counsel to Adeyemi, Musibau Adetumbi, presented his case, urging the court to grant his client’s requested relief.
Adetumbi argued that the primary election held on April 14 was conducted in gross violation of section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022, as evidenced by the absence of voting in 228 wards, a fact that has since been corroborated by INEC’s field officers in their report.
In response, Counsel for the APC, AbdulWahab Mohammed, called for the dismissal of Adeyemi’s appeal, citing the consistent findings of fact by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
On the other hand, the Counsel representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) contended that the appeal was incompetent and should uphold the decisions reached by the lower courts.
Usman Ododo’s legal team also advocated for the appeal’s dismissal, asserting that it had become irrelevant due to the expiration of the 180-day window within which the APC could conduct a fresh primary election for nominating a candidate.
Justice Inyang Okoro, presiding over the case, concluded the hearing by announcing that the final judgment would be rendered on October 3, 2023.
