Court Reserves Judgment On Ahmed Ododo, Kogi APC Governorship Candidate, Over Legitmacy Of His Election

By Babatunde Solanke

This is certainly not the best of times for the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo.

Ododo is set to know his fate in a fresh legal war seeking his disqualification from participating in the forth coming gubernatorial election in the state.

The Court of Appeal, in Abuja on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 reserved judgment in a fresh appeal brought before it by a governorship aspirant of the APC in the state, Abubakar Achimugu against a judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which affirmed Ahmed Ododo as the APC standard bearer for the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state.

A three-member panel of Justices of the appellate court, presided over by Justice Muhammed Lawal Shuaibu, reserved the date for judgment in the appeal after parties adopted their written addresses.

The appeal was against the judgment of Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja delivered on 18th July which held that Ahmed Ododo can lawfully continue to fly the flag of the APC in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Kogi State.

Justice Shuaib after taking arguments from lawyers in the matter announced the indefinite adjournment in the judgment delivery and that parties would be communicated as soon as the judgment is ready.

Recall that  had raced to court with a suit seeking to disqualify Ododo from contesting the November 11 governorship election on grounds that he did not resign his employment with the state  public service 30 days before contesting the governorship primary election. But the suit was dismissed, lacking in merit among others.

Not satisfied with the high court decision, Achimugu, in a Notice of Appeal filed on July 21 through his counsel, Josiah Daniel-Ebune, said Justice Egwuatu erred in law and occasioned a miscarriage of justice when he held that Ododo and Salami Deedat (2nd and 3rd defendants) duly resigned their appointment.

Achimugu argued that Justice Egwuatu was wrong in holding that Ododo was not caught up with the mandatory provision of what the law requires them to do before they participated in the APC’s governorship primary election for Kogi state held on April 15, 2023.

According to him,  the trial court also erred in law when, in dismissing his suit, ignored the uncontroverted evidence regarding credibility of the two purported letters of resignation exhibited by the APC, Ododo and Deedat and expressly rejected his paragraphs 5.2 – 5.4 of his reply address of the imperative of Ododo and Deedat lodging the said purported letters of the resignation along with their expression of interest form with APC within the 30 days, required by law, by holding that such contention is not supported by any law.

Achimugu said the trial Judge erred in law and misconceived the purport of his originating summons by holding that he changed his case from the original contention and was therefore not consistent in presenting the case, by approbating and reprobating; as a result, he prejudged the amended originating summons and thereby came to an erroneous decision dismissing his suit.

According to Achimugu, the trial court erred in law in misapplying the provision of Section 306(2) of the constitution and the cases of Yusuf Vs Governor of Edo state and Zubair Vs Mohammed to the facts and issues in his case and occasioned a miscarriage of justice, among other grounds.

The APC governorship aspirant asked the Appellate Court for an order setting aside the judgment of the trial court and granting all his reliefs sought in his amended originating summons.