Tribunal strikes out APP’s petition against Ododo’s election as Kogi gov’nor
The Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has struck out the petition filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP), challenging the election of Ahmed Usman Ododo as the Governor of Kogi State in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state.
This follows the withdrawal of the petition by Counsel to the Petitioner, Daniel Edeachi.
The application to withdraw the petition was not opposed by Counsel to Governor Ododo, Ibrahim Sanni Muhammed, SAN; Counsel to APC, DC Denwigwe and Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kanu Agabi, respectively.
The Tribunal, upon review of the affidavit of no-objection filed by the counsels to the Respondents to the APP petition, struck out the petition in a ruling delivered on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, by the Chairman of the Tribunal, Hon. Justice Ado Yusuf Birnin-Kudu.
Until the 2015 election in which the outgoing Governor Yahaya Bello gained the seat following the sudden death of the original APC candidate, Audu Abubakar, while the votes were still being tallied, the three previous elected governors of the state had all been Igalas from Kogi East.
Ododo garnered 446,237 votes to defeat other candidates.
