The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Ahmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the validly elected governor of Kogi state.

A three-member panel, in a unanimous judgement, held that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, failed to prove the allegations contained in their petition challenging Ododo’s election beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, the appellate court held that the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which sat in Abuja, was right to have expunged the evidence of the first witness called by the petitioners for being hearsay documents.

According to the court, the allegation of forgery of documents which Ododo submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a pre-election matter, which is handled by the Federal High Court and not the tribunal.

Having resolved all the issues raised in the appeal against the appellants, the court dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit .

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