BREAKING: Supreme Court Delivers Final Judgement on Suit Seeking Gov Ododo’s Sack, Details Emerge

• The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Usman Ododo of the APC as the winner of the Kogi state governorship election which was held on November 11, 2023
• Legit.ng reports that the affirmation followed the dismissal of the appeal of Murtala Ajaka, the candidate of the SDP, who challenged the outcome of the poll
• In a unanimous judgment, the apex court upheld the decision of the appeal court which in May affirmed Ododo's electoral victory

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering politics and elections in Nigeria.

FCT, Abuja - The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, August 23, affirmed Ahmed Usman Ododo as the duly-elected Kogi state governor.

In its judgement, a five-member panel quashed the appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidates in the November 2023 poll, Murtala Ajaka.

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Supreme Court: PDP chieftain Okai reacts to Kogi Governor Ododo’s victory, “Expect criticism”

Legit.ng recalls that the last Kogi state gubernatorial election was held in late 2023 to elect the governor of Kogi state.

The governor at the time, Yahaya Bello, was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. Thus, he endorsed his mentee, Ododo.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ododo, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and auditor-general for local governments in Kogi state, defeated SDP's Ajaka by 187,185 votes.

Read more on Kogi state

• Supreme Court hears final arguments seeking sack of Kogi, Bayelsa govs, details emerge
• Supreme Court reserves judgement on suit seeking sack of Ododo as Kogi governor
• Kogi governorship election: Supreme Court takes decision on Ajaka’s crucial request
• Ajaka’s campaign team asks IGP to remove Kogi police commissioner, speaks on Yahaya Bello's location

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Supreme Court gives verdict on LG autonomy

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that the Supreme Court ordered that funds be paid directly to the accounts of local government areas across the country.

The apex court declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for local government (LG) administrations.

The judgement was delivered following the suit filed by President Bola Tinubu-led federal government against the 36 governors seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country.

Source: Legit.ng