Ajaka Vs Ododo: Tribunal to deliver judgment on Kogi governorship election Monday

Kogi held its governorship election on November 11, 2023, in which Mr Ododo of APC emerged as the winner, beating Mr Ajaka of the SDP by a wide margin.

News Agency of Nigeria • May 23, 2024

Murtala Yakubu-Ajaka and Usman Ododo

The Kogi governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja has fixed May 27 for the judgment in the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka, against Governor Usman Ododo’s election victory.

The three-member panel of justices, headed by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, announced the date on Thursday in Abuja in a message communicated to counsel to the parties through its secretary, David Mike.

Kogi held its off-cycle election on November 11, 2023, in which Mr Ododo of the All Progressive Congress (APC) emerged as the winner, beating his closest rival, Mr Ajaka of the SDP, by a wide margin.

Mr Ajaka, dissatisfied with the election outcome, filed a petition before the tribunal challenging Mr Ododo’s victory.

The case, which commenced in December 2023, reached its highest point on May 13 when SDP, Mr Ajaka, APC, Mr Ododo, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adopted their final written addresses. After that, the tribunal reserved judgment on the petition.

INEC, Mr Ododo, and his party, APC, had prayed that the tribunal dismiss Mr Ajaka and SDP’s petition for being incompetent and lacking merit.

INEC, Mr Ododo and the APC had, through their lawyers, Kanu Agabi (SAN), Joseph Daudu (SAN) and Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), respectively, told the tribunal so while adopting their final written addresses and presenting their arguments against the petition.

However, Mr Ajaka’s lawyer, Pius Akubo (SAN), urged the tribunal to discount the respondents’ submissions and uphold their petition.

In his argument, INEC’s lawyer, Mr Agabi, had told the panel that the petition lacked merit and was incompetent, urging the court to strike it out or dismiss it.

The senior lawyer, who described the case as frivolous, prayed the tribunal to strike out or dismiss the petition for being incompetent.

Mr Ododo, through his Counsel, Daudu, also urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety.

Also backing Mr Daudu’s submission, Mr Ukala, who represented APC, urged the court to dismiss the petition for lack of merit.

(NAN)

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