The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the election of Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Kogi State governorship election which held on November 11, 2023.
The affirmation came after the appeal by Murtala Ajaka, the Social Democratic Party candidate, was dismissed. He had challenged the election outcome.
In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, which had confirmed the election of Mr. Ododo on May 27.
The five-member panel determined that the SDP governorship candidate did not provide sufficient evidence to prove substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The statement also noted that the allegations of age falsification and certificate forgery are pre-election issues, which should have been addressed at the Federal High Court, the appropriate jurisdiction for such matters.
As a result, the Supreme Court dismissed Ajaka’s appeal, deeming it to lack merit.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had previously declared that Mr. Ododo secured a total of 446,237 votes, defeating Mr. Ajaka, who finished second with 259,052 votes.