The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, has vowed to challenge the outcome of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which affirmed the election of Usman Ododo as the duly elected governor of Kogi State.
During a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja, Gabam stated that the tribunal’s judgment, which was already public before it was delivered, represented a miscarriage of justice aimed at disenfranchising the people of Kogi State.
“One of the grounds the Tribunal predicated the dismissal of our petition is our alleged failure to demonstrate infractions which occurred on the BVAS machines which we had no access to,” he said.
“Thirty minutes into the delivery of the judgment, it was published by Sahara Reporters. How did they get the judgment?”
Gabam emphasized that the party is prepared to take its case to the Supreme Court to reclaim its mandate from the All Progressives Congress-led administration of Governor Ododo.
On May 27, the tribunal, which convened in Abuja, upheld Ododo’s November 11, 2023, electoral victory, declaring the SDP’s petition as lacking substance and dismissing it accordingly.
In its ruling, the three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, concluded that the petitioners—the SDP and its candidate, Murtala Ajaka—failed to prove allegations of over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
The panel unanimously determined that all the witness evidence presented was incompetent and inconsistent.
However, the SDP candidate stated that this is not the end of the fight, expressing his determination to continue the battle to the very end.
Ajaka who issued a statement shortly after the tribunal verdict last Monday, said his opponent had only won the battle but won’t win the war.
“Despite the outcome at the tribunal, I am proud to say that we had a team of brilliant lawyers who did an outstanding job in proving the case of overvoting during the election. Their dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to upholding the principles of democracy have left an indelible mark on our case as we push further.
“Throughout the entire process, our lawyers exhibited the highest level of professionalism and tenacity. They meticulously gathered evidence, scrutinized data, and presented a compelling case to the tribunal, but the tribunal despite agreeing to over-voting struck our case out. These lawyers did not fail us. We are very optimistic that they will be vindicated by the end of the petition. I can assure you that this judgment will not stand the test of time,” his statement partly read.