Pandemonium broke out yesterday on the premises of the Supreme Court Abuja soon after the apex court upheld the November 11 2023 election of Ahmed Ododo as Kogi State governor.
Suspected thugs rushed at Yakubu Muritala Ajaka ,the petitioner/appellant in the case against Ododo, booing and throwing objects at him.
The Supreme Court also upheld two other governorship elections yesterday:those of Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State and Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.
Diri described his victory at the Supreme Court as the triumph of truth over falsehood and evil while Uzodinma dedicated his own judgement to the people of the state.
Ajaka, whose petition against Ododo had earlier suffered dismissal at the tribunal and the Appeal Court, was at the Supreme Court yesterday to hear the final judgement which did not go as he expected.
He was met outside the courtroom by scores of thugs who sought to assault him.
He was, however, hurriedly surrounded by his own supporters and aides who hurried him into his SUV which zoomed out of the premises.
But Ododo’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State said it was SDP supporters that launched violent attacks on its own (APC’s) supporters.
Kingsley Fanwo, Director, Media and Publicity of the State APC condemned the attack on APC supporters ,saying “the attacks reportedly began when supporters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) started hurling stones, bottles, and plastic containers at APC supporters and leaders immediately after the Supreme Court delivered its judgment affirming Governor Usman Ododo as the duly elected governor of Kogi State.”
He added: “During the ruling, the court had advised all parties and their supporters present in the courtroom to remain seated until all matters before it were fully addressed. However, the SDP candidate, Murtala Ajaka, ignored this advice and left the courtroom with his supporters as soon as the judgment was pronounced against him.
“Upon noticing the jubilant APC members within the court premises, Ajaka’s supporters allegedly unleashed violence, attacking the celebrating APC members and causing significant disruption.
“The APC in Kogi State has condemned these actions, describing them as undemocratic and uncivilised.”
In all, the Supreme Court delivered six judgements yesterday.
All the cases sought to void the Diri, Ododo and Uzodinma’s elections.
The first judgment was on the appeal, marked: SC/CV/648/2024 by Timipre Sylva and the APC in which they prayed the court to among others, set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed the judgment of the election tribunal, upholding Diri’s victory.
The apex court’s five-member panel was unanimous in affirming the Court of Appeal’s ruling that Sylva was wrong to have filed multiple notices of appeal against a single judgment of the election petition tribunal.
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, in the lead judgment held that it was wrong for Sylva and his party to file more than one notices of appeal against the single final judgment of the election tribunal.
Other members of the panel – Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, Tijani Abubakar, Sadiq Umar and Mohammed Idris – agreed with the lead judgment.
As agreed by lawyers to parties when the appeal was heard on August 19, the judgment in the appeal marked: SC/CV/648/2024 was applied to the other four appeals which arose from the same judgment given by the election tribunal in the petition filed by Sylva and the APC.
The other four are marked: SC/CV/650/2024, SC/CV/650A/2024, SC/CV/650B/2024 and SC/CV/650C/2024.
In the second judgment, the apex court dismissed the appeal by the National Rescue Movement (NRM) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Bayelsa State, Micah Akeems.
The court held that the appeal was without merit because the case was based on a pre-election issue of alleged supply of false information.
The court affirmed the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal that the sole issue on which Governor Diri’s reelection was challenged by the appellants was a pre-election issue on which the election tribunal has no jurisdiction.
Justice Garba also authored and read the lead judgment in the appeal.
The NRM and Akeems had claimed that the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo submitted forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his form 001 and EC9.
In the third judgment, Kogi: Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by the Action Alliance (AA) and its candidate in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Kogi State, Olayinka Baimoh, seeking to void the victory of Ododo in the election.
The court was unanimous in holding that the appeal, marked: SC/CV/653/2024, was incompetent, the notice of appeal having been filed outside the 14 days allowed by law for the filing of such notice.
Justice Sadiq Umar, who read the lead judgment, held that since the preliminary objection filed against the competence of the appeal was meritorious, it was of no use for the court to consider other issues raised in the appeal.
He proceeded to dismiss the appeal and awarded a cost of N5million against the appellants and in favour of the respondents.
In the fourth judgment, the apex court unanimously dismissed the appeal by the SDP and its candidate Yakubu Ajaka, marked: SC/CV/654/2024,saying it was without merit.
Justice Sadiq Umar, who authored and read the lead judgment resolved all the three issues identified for determination in the appeal against the appellants.
In the fifth judgment, the Supreme Court affirmed the reelection of Governor Uzodinma, dismissed the appeal by the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Athan Achonu for being unmeritorious.
Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, who authored and read the lead judgment, resolved the three issues identified for determination against the appellants.
Justice Idris found that the appellants as petitioners at the election tribunal, failed to prove their case as required.
He proceeded to affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the decision of the election tribunal, dismissing the appellants’ petition.
The apex court, in the sixth judgment, dismissed the appeal of the PDP and its candidate in the last governorship election in Imo State, Samuel Anyawu.
In a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the court held that the appeal was without merit.
Justice Idris, in the lead judgment, resolved all the issues raised for determination in the appeal against the appellants.
I rededicate myself to the service of Imo people, says Uzodimma
Reacting to the judgement yesterday, Governor Uzodimma expressed gratitude to God for granting him another victory, and to the Supreme Court, for upholding the law despite the barrage of blackmail and intimidation by enemies of democracy.
Governor Uzodimma said when the people of Imo overwhelmingly reelected him last year “it was simply based on my sterling performance, which remains unprecedented in the modern history of the state.
“During my second tenure inauguration, I pledged to serve them with renewed vigour, with honesty and transparency and accountability and with the fear of God.
“Today, with this Supreme Court victory, which I dedicate to all Imo people, irrespective of political or religious affiliation, I rededicate myself to the service of the good people of Imo State.”
He asked his opponents in the election to join him in “the task of reinventing Imo to the state of our shared dreams.”
He said his doors would “continue to remain open to all Imo people genuinely committed to the betterment of our society.”
It’s triumph of truth, says Diri
Governor Diri said the ruling was not for him or his deputy alone but also for people of the state whose choice was validated by the courts.
Governor Diri said his administration had started well and would consolidate on the gains so far made and even introduce new programmes and policies that will benefit the people.
He said:“From the election and the tribunal to the Supreme Court, we won four-zero. This is the triumph of truth over falsehood and evil. There is hope for democracy in Nigeria.”
I am sad but we move forward, Adebayo
The presidential candidate of the SDP in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, said he was saddened by the apex court pronouncement on the Kogi election.
” I am saddened by today’s judgement of the Supreme Court against @TheSDPNg in Kogi governorship election. We have highlighted the pitfalls of our democracy and let posterity be the judge. A petition that has no error can only be filed in heaven with God Almighty. We March Forward!” Adebayo, who is also the leader of the party said on his official X handle @Pres_Adebayo.
PDP kicks over verdicts on Kogi, Imo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed joy over the judgement affirming the electoral victory of Gov Diri but faulted those on Kogi and Imo.
It described the verdict on Bayelsa State as another victory for democracy, rule of law and the expressed will of the people of Bayelsa State in their quest for good governance and development on the platform of the PDP,” but said the decision to uphold the governorship elections in Imo and Kogi states “despite confirmed reports and evidence that the elections were heavily flawed and blatantly compromised, marred by widespread violence and manipulations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in connivance with certain unscrupulous officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)” further underscored a very serious challenge created by the blemished operation and violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and Electoral Guidelines by INEC,.
Party spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, said the verdicts “further justify PDP’s demand for the comprehensive review of the Electoral Law, especially its aspects concerning the declaration of results of election without due regard to issues and complaints arising from obvious violation of the provisions of the law and electoral processes.”
