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Kogi Gov’ship: INEC, APC, Ododo ask Tribunal to Dismiss SDP’s Petition

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INEC on Monday prayed the Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja to dismiss a petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and its candidate, Murtala Ajaka, against the victory of Gov.

Usman Ododo.

Gov. Ododo and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have also told the three-member panel of Justices, headed by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, to dismiss the petition in its entirety for being incompetent and lacking in merit.

The trio, through their lawyers – Chief Kanu Agabi, Joseph Daudu and Emmanuel Ukala – stated this position while adopting their final written addresses and presenting their arguments against SDP and Ajaka’s petition.

However, Ajaka’s lawyer, Pius Akubo, have urged the tribunal to discountenance the respondents’ submissions and uphold their petition.

The tribunal, after listening to all the parties in the petition, reserved the matter for judgment.

It would be recalled that Ajaka had challenged Ododo’s victory in the Nov. 11, 2023 Kogi governorship poll.

In the petition, INEC, Ododo and APC are listed as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.

The tribunal had, on April 25, fixed Monday for adoption of final written addresses after parties closed their case in the matter.

Upon resumed hearing, INEC’s counsel,  Agabi told the court that their final written address was dated and filed on May 2.

He said the commission’s reply on point of law was dated May 8 and filed May 9.

While adopting the processes, the lawyer submitted that the petition lacked merit and was incompetent, urging the court to strike it out or dismiss it.

“It is our humble submission that your work in the determination of this petition is simplified in recent judgments by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court,” he said.

He argued that the Appeal Court had decided that if the grounds of a petition are inconsistent with one another, and are not consistent with the reliefs, it should be struck out.

He also argued that the evidence of the petitioners were grossly insufficient, citing a Supreme Court decision in a case by Tonye Cole against INEC.

“It is to the effect that once the evidence called is grossly insufficient, there is no evidence.

“In that case, the petitioner filed 305 witness depositions but only adopted 40 of them.

“The petitioner, according to the decision, only adopted about 13.1 per cent of the witness depositions.

“In this case, the depositions adopted represent just about 3.6 per cent of their witness depositions,” he said.

He said the petitioners only called 25 witnesses out of the scores listed.

Agabi said that in a mathematical calculation of evidence, 3.6 per cent of Ajaka’s witness deposition adopted in the petition amounted to a failure and, therefore, ought to be dismissed.

The lawyer also described the case as “frivolous”.

He said the petitioners equally failed to file the witness deposition before hand in contravention of the Supreme Court’s decision in Obungado’s case.

He argued that the petitioners’ witness, who testified about the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines clearly stated that he could not guarantee whether those were the BVAS used.

Besides, he said the witness was not the maker of the inputs in the BVAS machines.

“Also, the evidence contained in the BVAS machines fell short of what is required of the law,” he added.

Agabi further argued that the BVAS machine was tendered against Section 84 of the Evidence Act, as there was no certificate of trustworthiness attached alongside it as required by the law.

He argued that out of the 25 witnesses called by the petitioners, there was no single polling unit agent among them.

“In other words, not a single person who observed the election was called.

“Besides, the star witness could not distinguish between what he heard and what he saw when questions were put to him,” he said.

The senior lawyer prayed the tribunal to strike out or dismiss the petition for being incompetent.

While adopting his final written address dated and filed on May 1, Daudu, who appeared for Gov. Ododo, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety.

Adumbrating, he argued that the petition was statute barred (filed out of time).

The senior lawyer said that though the petitioners responded to their submission that “when it comes to filing, it is what the secretary of the tribunal says that determines the date of filing,” he, however, argued that the action of the petitioners was against Section 122(1) and (2)(a) of the Evidence Act, which empowers the tribunal to take judicial notice of this.

But Akubo objected to Daudu’s citing of the section, describing it as fresh argument.

Daudu, in response, disagreed with Akubo that he was raising fresh issues after a final written address had been filed.

“You cannot shut me out from making my comment. You cannot because you don’t have the power to do so,” he said.

He said if the court found merit in his argument, Akubo had the right to respond because it bordered on issues of remittal procedure.

He also urged the tribunal to dismiss the allegations of forgery against his client, saying it bordered on pre-election matter, which the apex court had decided in Gbagi’s case against INEC.

Daudu also argued that Section 137 of the Electoral Act cited by the petitioners on allegations of over-voting did not apply in the instant petition.

Also backing Daudu’s submission, Ukala, who represented APC, urged the court to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.

The lawyer, who said their final written address, dated April 30 was filed same date, adopted all the processes.

The petitioners’ lawyer, Akubo, told the tribunal that their final written address was dated and filed May 6.

He disagreed with Daudu that their petition was filed out of time.

He argued that the respondents themselves confirmed that the petition was filed on December 2, 2023, even by their own witness.

“I urge your lordship to hold that we filed this petition within time under our law,” he said.

After taking the arguments, Justice Birnin-Kudu reserved judgment in the petition.

“The date will be communicated to both parties,” he said. (NAN)

NEWS

Rangers Sack Manager Phillipe Clement after St. Mirren Defeat

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Rangers Football Club have parted ways with manager Philippe Clement following Saturday’s 2-0 home Scottish Premiership defeat by St Mirren.

The decision to sack the 50-year-old Belgian comes one year and four months after he took the job, with Rangers 13 points adrift of rivals Celtic in the standings.

“Rangers would like to put on record their sincere thanks to Philippe for his hard work and dedication during his spell in charge.

“A further update from the club will follow in due course,” the Glasgow club said in a short statement on Sunday.

Clement has guided Rangers to the Europa League last 16, where they face Fenerbahce next month.

They were however knocked out of the Scottish Cup by second-tier Queen’s Park this month and lost the League Cup final to Celtic on penalties in December.

(Reuters/NAN)

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Ecobank, Code 14 Partner to Teach Coding

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Ecobank Nigeria, a subsidiary of Ecobank Group, has partnered with Code 14 Labs to expand access to coding education for children across Nigeria.

Mr Austene Osokpor, Head of Corporate Communications at Ecobank, announced the partnership in a statement on Sunday.

The initiative leverages Code 14 Labs’ interactive coding workbooks, including “Andrew Teaches”, and its teacher network to offer affordable annual training and proficiency certification to students.

As part of the collaboration, Ecobank will utilise its extensive operational network across Africa to provide nationwide and pan-African access to coding education.

Code 14 Labs will contribute its educational technology and trusted community, ensuring high-quality teaching that delivers tangible learning outcomes for students and reassurance for parents.

At the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos, Adeola Ogunyemi, Head of Consumer Banking at Ecobank Nigeria, said the partnership reflects the bank’s commitment to bridging the digital gap.

She highlighted how the initiative aligns with Ecobank’s mission to equip children with essential skills for success in an increasingly digital world.

Ogunyemi was represented by Victor Yalokwu, Head of Consumer Products and Segments.

“At Ecobank, we recognise that financial literacy and digital education are closely linked. This belief led to the creation of MyFirst Account, a product for children under 16.

“It encourages smart financial habits from an early age. By introducing students to coding through Code 14’s mobile app, we nurture problem-solving, creativity, and digital confidence,” Ogunyemi said.

Otaru Daudu, Executive Director of Research and Technology at Code 14 Labs, praised the partnership.

Daudu expressed confidence that, with additional partners, they will achieve their goal of training 50,000 learners to proficiency level.

He added that students will gain proficiency in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), essential programming languages for global internet communication.

“Code 14 Labs is committed to scaling critical education components through technology-driven inclusion,” Daudu said.

Parents and guardians interested in enrolling their children are encouraged to open a savings product designed for those under 16. (NAN)

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APC Calls Osun LG Election by Adeleke “Illegal”

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the Local Government election conducted last Saturday by Gov.

Ademola Adeleke of Osun and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), labelling it illegal and unconstitutional.

Mr Felix Morka, APC’s National Publicity Secretary, issued the statement on Sunday in Abuja, describing the election as being in defiance of court rulings.

“In blatant disregard for the rule of law and a valid judgment of the Court of Appeal, Gov.

Adeleke 0conducted the election on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025,” Morka said.

He recalled that the Court of Appeal ruling of February 10 reinstated Local Government officials dismissed by Adeleke’s executive order, with the decision striking down a Federal High Court ruling from November 2022.

According to Morka, the Court of Appeal’s judgment nullified the previous ruling and reinstated the officials until the end of their term in October 2025.

He further criticised Adeleke’s actions in appointing illegal caretaker committees, violating Section 7(1) of the Constitution, and argued that the APC showed restraint and respect for the court’s decision.

Morka questioned why Adeleke, who swore to uphold the Constitution, failed to abide by a valid court order and termed the election a “sham” that wasted public funds and risked inciting violence.

He stressed that the governor must respect the law and the rights of the Osun people, calling on local government workers to peacefully continue their duties under the judicially reinstated officials.

Morka also urged security agencies to remain vigilant to prevent further unrest and called for the Federal Government to ensure that only democratically elected and judicially certified officials received local government funds in Osun.(NAN)

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