The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday, affirmed the election of Usman Ododo as the governor of Kogi State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka.
In a unanimous decision, the three-member panel of justices upheld the earlier ruling of the state election tribunal, which had validated Ododo’s victory in the gubernatorial poll.
The court held that the petitioners failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove their allegations of electoral malpractice and certificate forgery against Ododo beyond reasonable doubt.
The justices also noted that the petitioners’ witnesses were incompetent, as their statements were not accompanied by the petition, as required by electoral laws.
Furthermore, the court ruled that the issue of certificate forgery should have been addressed at the Federal High Court, as it was a pre-election matter.