(Kogi) Supreme Court nollifies Achimugu’s suit against APC candidate Ododo

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Abubakar Achimugu, an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor in Kogi State, that sought to invalidate the party’s primary election that produced Usman Ododo as its candidate in the election set for November 11 in the state.

A group of judges on the Supreme Court, including Justice Inyang Okoro, dismissed the appeal.

Achimugu has filed a lawsuit with the Federal High Court asking for Ododo to be declared ineligible on the grounds that he had not submitted his resignation from the Kogi State public service 30 days prior to running for governor.

Contrary to Achimugu’s assertion, the trial court rejected the case after finding that the evidence supported Ododo’s resignation from his position more than 30 days prior to the APC primary election.

The third defendant, Mr. Salami Deedat, got his resignation letter on March 9, according to exhibits provided by the defendants, while Ododo’s resignation letter was received by the Office of the Kogi State Governor on March 8.

The appeal contesting the decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja was likewise found to lack substance by the Appeal Court, which dismissed it as a result.

Achimugu’s attorney claimed that the respondents did not resign from their positions but later acknowledged that they had done so at the Supreme Court’s hearing on the appeal.

The Federal High Court’s and the Court of Appeal’s decisions were both seen to be perverse, but the appellant’s counsel failed to raise any objections to this in his questions for determination in the appellant’s brief, according to the Supreme Court.

The appellant’s counsel was instructed to withdraw the appeal in light of this oversight.

Achimugu abandoned his appeal as a result, and the case was dropped.