Photo caption: Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo
Photo caption: Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Thursday, upheld the election of Ahmed Usman Ododo as the duly elected governor of Kogi State.
The verdict followed the appeal filed by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Murtala Ajaka, against the earlier verdict of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which affirmed the election of Ododo in the November 2023 election.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Government has hailed the verdict of the Appeal Court, Abuja that upheld the victory of the state governor, Usman Ododo.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, made the government’s position known in an interview with journalists shortly after the judgment was delivered in Abuja.
Fanwo described the judgment as “sound,” adding that the it represents “echoes of the indisputable victory” of the governor at the poll.
He said the governor remains unwavering in his faith in the judiciary.
The conmissioner said, “Today’s judgment represents echoes of our victory on November 11, 2023. We campaigned round the state and worked hard to reassure the people that our party is the most reliable to take the state forward.
“November 11 will continue to be remembered in Kogi as the day that Kogites across the senatorial districts united to speak with one voice, birthing a resounding victory for the incumbent governor.
“Today’s verdict 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 is a demonstration of the triumph of the people’s will.”
He urged the people of the state to continue to support the governor to make the state the Confluence of Excellence.
