The Supreme Court on Friday confirmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Kogi State governorship election held on November 11, 2023.
This decision followed the dismissal of an appeal by Murtala Ajaka, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who had challenged the election outcome.
In a unanimous judgment, the Apex Court upheld the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which on May 27 had also affirmed Ododo’s election. The five-man panel concluded that Ajaka failed to prove allegations of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The court also noted that claims of age falsification and certificate forgery are pre-election matters that should have been addressed at the Federal High Court, which has jurisdiction over such cases.
Consequently, the Supreme Court dismissed Ajaka’s appeal, deeming it to lack merit.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared that Ododo secured 446,237 votes, defeating Ajaka, who received 259,052 votes.
