From Godwin Tsa Abuja
The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed Governor Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the off-cycle election held in Kogi State on November 11.
The verdict was given after the court dismissed the appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Murtala Ajaka for lacking in merit.
In a unanimous judgment, the Apex Court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal which on May 27 affirmed the election of Ododo.
The Court held that the allegation of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act was not proven by the SDP governorship candidate.
It further adds that allegations of age falsification and certificate forgery are pre-election matters, noting it’s the Federal High Court that has jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
INEC had announced that Ododo polled a total of 446,237 votes to defeat Ajaka who came second with 259,052 votes.