Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has described the ruling of the Appeal Court on the outcome of the 2023 governorship election in Kogi State as a confirmation that the election was free and fair.
The Governor made the submission in a statement on Friday in which he reacted to the verdict of the appellate court regarding the outcome of the election.
As earlier reported by Naija News, the Appeal Court on Thursday, affirmed the election of Usman Ododo as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State.
The Appellate Court sitting in Abuja, backed the verdict of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, which had affirmed Ododo’s election victory.
The tribunal had dismissed the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka.
A three-man panel of the appeal court agreed with the tribunal that Ajaka’s witnesses were incompetent because their statements did not accompany the petition in line with electoral laws.
Reacting via a statement by his special adviser on media, Ismaila Isah, Governor Ododo welcomed the verdict of the court.
Governor Ododo thanked the people of Kogi State for their support and expressed appreciation to the judiciary for the swift and expeditious manner with which it dealt with the appeal, adding that the court has again demonstrated that the mandate freely given to him by the people of the state cannot be upturned by persons who may not agree with the will of God and the majority of the people of Kogi state.
According to Governor Ododo in the statement, “I give thanks to God for seeing us through this phase of the court processes and I thank the people of Kogi state for uniting behind our administration and the steps we are taking to serve our people with the best of our ability.
“The judgement of the Appeal Court reaffirms the fact that the November 2023 Governorship election in Kogi State was free, fair, peaceful, and credible.
“By the grace of God, our administration has become the symbol of peace and unity in our state and we are committed to serving our people on the basis of equity and inclusion.
“I thank the judiciary for staying true to its independence with this judgement of the Appeal Court that has reaffirmed the earlier decision of the Tribunal which is a clear testament that the mandate freely given to us by the people of Kogi State was done in the best interest of our state.”
The Governor called on opposition politicians in the state to join him in advancing the development of the state, stressing that the judgement of the appeal court should now lay to rest the argument over the result of the 2023 governorship election and unite the people for the development of the state irrespective of political differences.
The Governor also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ensuring that the judiciary remains truly independent and transparent as the last hope of the common man in the country.
Meanwhile, the SDP candidate, Ajaka, has declared his intention to challenge the verdict of the Appeal Court.