Kogi Tribunal setting in Abuja at the resumption of the hearing and adoption of the final addresses by all parties on Monday May 13th, 2024, the court has reserved judgement but promised to communicate date to the Counsels. It was observed that the 1st and 3rd respondents abandoned the 2nd respondent (the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Usman Ododo) on the issues of certificate forgery and alleged forged declaration of age of the candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP)......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The petitioner’s counsel, PA Akubo SAN and others, during presentation also focus heavily on the non-qualification of the candidate, alleged forgery, over-voting, and other irregularities, mostly in the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State.
In contrast, the 1st and 3rd respondents, led by Kanu Agabi SAN, CE Ukala SAN, and others, largely ignored these issues, leaving it for the APC candidate, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, to address the tribunal.
Counsel to Ododo, BA Odaudu SAN and others, argued that the issues of qualification are pre-election matters and did not raise any defense regarding the authenticity of the certificate and the declaration of age.
Instead, they asked the court to strike out the case on the grounds of lacking in merit and justification.
They also claimed that the filing date of the court process by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was out of time and urged the tribunal to dismiss the case.
After listening to all the parties involved, the Tribunal Chairman thanked the senior counsels, lawyers, and litigants for their cooperation and adjourned the case for judgment, with the date to be communicated to the parties through their representative counsels.