The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Usman Ododo as the winner of the Kogi State governorship election held on November 11, 2023.
The court dismissed the appeal of Murtala Ajaka, the Social Democratic Party candidate, who challenged the outcome of the election.
In a unanimous judgment, the five-man panel held that Ajaka failed to prove allegations of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The court also stated that allegations of age falsification and certificate forgery are pre-election matters that should have been addressed before the election.
With a total of 446,237 votes, Ododo defeated Ajaka, who secured 259,052 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Ododo the winner of the election, and the Court of Appeal had earlier affirmed his victory on May 27.
The Supreme Court’s decision has put an end to the legal challenge, confirming Ododo as the duly elected governor of Kogi State.
