The Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, is set to deliver its judgment on May 27 in the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka, challenging the election victory of Governor Usman Ododo.
The three-member panel, headed by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, announced the date on Thursday. The announcement was communicated to the parties’ counsel through the tribunal’s secretary, David Mike, and made available to news outlets.
Governor Usman Ododo of the All Progressive Congress (APC) emerged victorious in the Kogi off-cycle election held on November 11, 2023. However, Ajaka, dissatisfied with the outcome, filed a petition in December 2023, contesting the validity of Ododo’s victory.
The case reached its peak on May 13, when both parties—SDP and Ajaka, along with APC, Ododo, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)—adopted their final written addresses. Following this, the tribunal reserved judgment.
INEC, Ododo, and the APC have consistently argued for the dismissal of Ajaka and SDP’s petition, labeling it as incompetent and lacking merit. Their lawyers, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN; Joseph Daudu, SAN; and Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, reiterated these points while presenting their final arguments.
Chief Agabi, representing INEC, asserted, “It is our humble submission that your work in the determination of this petition is simplified in recent judgments by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.” He argued that the grounds of the petition were inconsistent and insufficient, urging the tribunal to strike it out.
Joseph Daudu, representing Ododo, also called for the petition’s dismissal, claiming it was statute-barred. He dismissed allegations of forgery against his client, stating these were pre-election issues already decided by the Supreme Court.
Echoing Daudu’s arguments, Emmanuel Ukala, representing APC, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking merit.
Conversely, Ajaka’s lawyer, Pius Akubo, SAN, argued that the petition was filed within the legal timeframe and urged the tribunal to disregard the respondents’ submissions. “I urge your lordship to hold that we filed this petition within time under our law,” Akubo stated.
As the tribunal prepares to deliver its judgment, all eyes will be on Abuja on May 27 to see the outcome of this highly contentious electoral dispute.