Tribunal Sets Date For Ruling On Ododo vs Ajaka Case Regarding Kogi Governorship Election

Tribunal Sets Date For Ruling On Ododo vs Ajaka Case Regarding Kogi Governorship Election....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Kogi State governorship election tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has announced it will deliver its final ruling on the dispute over the polls’ outcome on Monday, May 27.

Headed by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, the three-man tribunal communicated this decision to the concerned parties involved in the suit.

Naija News reports that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka, contested the victory of Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11, 2023 election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to INEC’s results, Ododo secured 446,237 votes, defeating Ajaka, who garnered 259,052 votes, and Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with 46,362 votes.

Displeased with the outcome, the SDP and Ajaka approached the tribunal and filed petitions challenging Ododo’s victory.

Both parties made their final submissions and adopted their written addresses on May 13.

In their defense, Ododo, INEC, and APC urged the tribunal to dismiss Ajaka and the SDP’s petition for lack of merit.

Justice Blessing Ajileye, in the judgment delivered on Thursday, May 23, 2024, found the defendants guilty, concluding that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

“As a result, the court sentences Benjamin Joseph and Stephen Orban to be hanged by the neck until they are dead. May God have mercy on your souls,” the judge declared.