By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo on Tuesday announced the dedication of the tribunal victory to the people of the state and called on the opposition to join him in moving the state forward.
He applauded the decision of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which upheld his election as the duly elected Governor of the state.
In a release signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah noted that the decision of the tribunal that upheld his election further affirmed his conviction that God alone gives power to whomever He wishes at any point in life, adding that the ruling of the tribunal is a call for more dedication to the service of the people of Kogi State.
While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ensuring the independence of the judiciary, Governor Ododo stressed that the courts remain the hope of the common man and bastion of justice, equity and fairness that sustain democracy any where in the world.
The Governor called on opposition parties in the state to join hands with him to ensure rapid development of the state in the interest of unity and peaceful coexistence of the people of the state.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo was elected the fifth Executive Governor of Kogi State having scored 446, 237 votes to defeat his closest challenger Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who scored 259, 052 votes in the November 11, 2023 Governorship election.
The SDP candidate, Muritala Ajaka and candidates of the Action Alliance (AA) Olayinka Braimoh and Abdullahi Yunusa of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) subsequently challenged the election of Governor Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in separate petitions.
After months of intense legal battles, the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday affirmed Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of the APC as the duly elected governor of Kogi State thereby dismissing the petitions of Muritala Ajaka of the SDP, Olayinka Braimoh of AA and Abdullahi Yunusa of PRP for lack of merit.
