The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the victory of Usman Ododo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, in the November 11, 2023, Kogi governorship election.
News About Nigeria reports that a five-member panel of the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Muritala Ajaka, citing lack of merit.
Justice Sadiq Umar, who delivered the lead judgment, resolved all three issues in the appeal against the appellants.
A three-member panel of the Appeal Court had previously upheld the decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, dismissing the SDP’s appeal for lack of evidence.
The appellate court had held that the SDP and its candidate failed to prove allegations of electoral irregularities beyond reasonable doubt.
The court also dismissed appeals filed by other parties challenging Ododo’s victory.
Justice Onyekachi Otisi, who delivered the judgement, agreed with the election petition tribunal’s decision to expunge evidence from the petitioners’ first witness.
The judge held that witnesses must submit their statements on oath as required by law, and the petitioners’ witnesses failed to do so.
The judge also found inconsistencies in the appellants’ case and held that allegations of forgery were pre-election matters that should have been handled by the Federal High Court.
The tribunal had previously affirmed Ododo’s victory on May 27, dismissing the petition for lack of substance.
The three-member panel of justices held that the petitioners failed to prove allegations of over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The panel also found that all the witness evidence filed was incompetent and full of inconsistencies.
The Kogi governorship election was held on November 11, 2023, with Ododo emerging as the winner.
