July 15, (THEWILL) – The last is yet to be heard in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in Kogi State as the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Murtala Ajaka, on Thursday rejected the Appeal Court ruling that affirmed the election of Governor Usman Ododo and headed for the Supreme Court. His first reaction was to urge his supporters to be calm about his loss at the Appeal Court.
Ajaka lost at the appellate court last Thursday as a three-man panel of judges affirmed the victory of Usman Ododo as the duly elected governor of Kogi.
Shortly after the ruling, Ajaka rejected the appellate court’s verdict, vowing to reclaim what he described as his stolen mandate at the Supreme Court.
THEWILL learnt that other parties who were part of the appeal of the Tribunal’s judgement up to the Appeal Court, namely the Action Alliance, AA, and the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, may not head to the apex and final court alongside SDP, thus leaving Ajaka to finish the race alone.
The Appeal Court had on that Thursday upheld the May 27 decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal which upheld the election of Governor Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State, having scored 446,237 votes which represents the majority of lawful votes cast in the November 11, 2023 Governorship election in the state.
The Appeal Court in a unanimous decision dismissed all grounds of appeals filed by candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Action Alliance (AA) and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) for being incompetent and for lacking in merit.
In his reaction, Governor Ododo described the court that upheld the decision of the governorship election petition tribunal affirming his return as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State as courageous and a welcome development in the judicial system.
Governor Ododo expressed appreciation to the judiciary for the swift and expeditious manner with which it dealt with the appeal, adding that the court has again demonstrated that the mandate freely given to him by the people of the state cannot be upturned by persons who may not agree with the will of God and the majority of the people of Kogi state.
“I give thanks to God for seeing us through this phase of the court processes and I thank the people of Kogi State for uniting behind our administration and the steps we are taking to serve our people to the best of our ability.
“The judgement of the Appeal Court reaffirms the fact that the November 2023 Governorship election in Kogi State was free, fair, peaceful, and credible.
“By the grace of God, our administration has become the symbol of peace and unity in our state and we are committed to serving our people on the basis of equity and inclusion.
“I thank the judiciary for staying true to its independence with this judgement of the Appeal Court that has reaffirmed the earlier decision of the Tribunal, which is a clear testament that the mandate freely given to us by the people of Kogi State was done in the best interest of our state.”
He called on opposition politicians in the state to join him in advancing the development of the state, stressing that the judgement of the appeal court should now lay to rest the argument over the result of the 2023 governorship election and unite the people for the development of the state irrespective of political differences.
The governor also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for ensuring that the judiciary remains truly independent and transparent as the last hope of the common man in the country.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, described the judgement as “sound” , adding that the judgement represents “echoes of the indisputable victory” of the governor at the poll.
According to him, the judgement represents echoes of his party’s victory on November 11, 2023 after campaigning round the state and worked hard to reassure the people that it is the most reliable to take the state forward.
“November 11 will continue to be remembered in Kogi State as the day that Kogites across the Senatorial Districts united to speak with one voice, birthing a resounding victory for the incumbent Governor, he said and added that the Appeal Court judgement has offered another great opportunity for those who lost at the poll and in the courts to join the governor in moving the state forward”.
Fanwo said the court case did not in any way slow governance down, as the governor has continued to “roll up his sleeves and deliver democracy dividends to the great people of the state.
“The jubilation that greeted the verdict affirming the victory of the Chief Servant of Kogi State is a demonstration of the triumph of the people’s will”.
Fanwo urged the people of the state to continue to support the Governor in order to make the State the Confluence of Excellence
Ajaka however called on his all our supporters to remain calm and peaceful in the face of “this disappointment and injustice. We understand the frustration and anger that may arise from this situation, but resorting to violence or any form of unlawful behaviour is not the solution,”
Restating his firm belief in the judiciary, he disclosed that he was confident that the Supreme Court will rectify the “injustices that have been inflicted upon us once again.”
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
