By Thompson Yamput
Gov. Usman Ododo of Kogi on Friday called on the opposition parties to join him in the quest to develop and take the state to an enviable height.
Ododo made the call in a statement by his Media Aide, Ismaila Isah in Lokoja, in reaction to Thursday’s Court of Appeal judgment that affirmed him as the duly elected Governor in the Nov. 11, 2023 governorship election.
The Appeal Court had on Thursday upheld the May 27 decision of the Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the election of Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the duly elected Governor of Kogi.
Ododo scored 446,237 votes, which represented the majority of lawful votes cast in the Nov. 11, 2023 polls.
The Appeal Court in a unanimous decision dismissed all grounds of appeals filed by candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Action Alliance (AA) and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) for being incompetent and for lacking in merit.
“I hereby call on all opposition politicians in the state to join me in advancing the development of the state to an amiable height for the good of all citizens.
“This is because the judgement of the Appeal Court reaffirms the fact that the Nov.11, 2023 governorship election in Kogi was free, fair, peaceful and credible.
“By the grace of God, our administration has become the symbol of peace and unity in our state and we are committed to serving our people on the basis of equity and inclusion.
“I thank the judiciary for staying true to its independence with this judgement of the Appellate Court that has reaffirmed the earlier decision of the Tribunal. This is a clear testament that the mandate freely given to us by the people of Kogi was done in the best interest of our state, ” he said.
Ododo also thanked God for seeing him through the phases of the court processes and equally thanked the people of Kogi for their support.
He also appreciated the judiciary for the swift and expeditious handling of the appeal.
According to him, the court has again demonstrated that the mandate freely given to him by the people of the state cannot be upturned by persons, who may not agree with the will of God and the majority of the people of Kogi.
The Governor thanked President Bola Tinubu for ensuring that the judiciary remained truly independent and transparent as the last hope of the common man in the country. NAN
