The Court of Appeal has affirmed the election of Governor Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State, rejecting the challenge from Murtala Ajaka, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). This marks another defeat for Ajaka, who had previously lost at the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal.
Ajaka had contested the declaration of Ododo and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winners of the November 11, 2023 governorship election. However, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, upheld the tribunal’s decision, stating that the appellants failed to provide credible evidence to overturn the initial ruling.
The court also determined that the forgery allegations against Ododo were pre-election matters, falling outside its jurisdiction. The tribunal had previously dismissed the evidence from the petitioners’ first witness as hearsay, a decision the appellate court found appropriate.
The Court of Appeal resolved all issues against Ajaka and his party, dismissing the appeal for lack of merit. This decision reinforces the tribunal’s ruling from May 27, which had affirmed Ododo’s victory in the governorship poll, deeming the petition unsubstantial.
Ajaka and his party’s dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s judgment led to the appeal, but the Court of Appeal has now definitively closed the case, confirming Governor Ododo’s legitimate election victory.
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