The Kogi Off-Cycle Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, constituted by Justice Monica Bolna’an-Dongban, the President of the Court of Appeal (COA), is scheduled to commence proceedings on Saturday, November 25, 2023. This information was relayed to journalists in Lokoja on Thursday by Mr. David Umar-Mike, the tribunal’s secretary.
In the November 11 election, Alhaji Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged victorious with 446,237 votes, while Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) secured 259,052 votes.
The tribunal secretary clarified, “We anticipate commencing hearings this Saturday, Nov. 25, specifically to address exparte motions. Presently, our focus is on these motions scheduled for that day. However, the main proceedings may take a bit longer as counsels will need time to collect documents from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant bodies before filing their respective petitions.”
He reaffirmed that the formation of the election tribunal adhered to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and the Electoral Act (as amended).