Court of Appeal Upholds Usman Ododo’s Victory as Kogi State Governor

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, has affirmed the election of Usman Ododo as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State.

This decision backs the earlier verdict of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had upheld Ododo’s victory despite challenges from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka.

A three-man panel of the appeal court ruled that Ajaka’s witnesses were incompetent, as their statements did not adhere to electoral laws by accompanying the petition.

Additionally, the court emphasized that issues related to alleged certificate forgery should have been initially raised at a Federal High Court.

The Court of Appeal concluded that the appellant failed to substantiate their case “beyond reasonable doubt,” thereby confirming Usman Ododo’s election.

Previously, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Ododo of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the November 11, 2023 Kogi State Governorship Election with 446,237 votes.

Murtala Ajaka of the SDP trailed with 259,052 votes, while Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 46,362 votes.

The petitioners had sought to annul the election results, citing alleged forgery, overvoting, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act in several local government areas (LGAs).