Ododo Welcomes Appeal Court Verdict, Praises Judiciary For Staying True To It’s Independence
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
Kogi state governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo on Friday commended the judiciary for remaining resolute, and true to its independence in the course of dispensation of justice.
In his first reaction to Court of Appeal judgement that upheld his electoral victory, Usman Ododo
“the judgement of the Appeal Court reaffirms the fact that the November 2023 Governorship election in Kogi State was free, fair, peaceful, and credible.”
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.
A press statement by Ismaila Isah, Special Adviser on Media to the Kogi State Governor that was made available to Prime Times
expressed appreciation to the judiciary for the swift and expeditious manner with which it dealt with the appeal.
He said 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 state.
Gov Ododo said “I thank the judiciary for staying true to its independence with this judgement of the Appeal Court that has reaffirmed the earlier decision of the Tribunal which is a clear testament that the mandate freely given to us by the people of Kogi State was done in the best interest of our state.”
He stressed that “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.”
Ododo however gave thanks to “God for seeing us through this phase of the court processes and I thank the people of Kogi state for uniting behind our administration and the steps we are taking to serve our people with the best of our ability.”
The Governor also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ensuring that the judiciary remains truly independent and transparent as the last hope of the common man in the country.
He called on opposition politicians in the state to join him in advancing the development of the state, stressing that the judgement of the appeal court should now lay to rest the argument over the result of the 2023 governorship election and unite the people for the development of the state irrespective of political differences.
