The Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has reserved a date to deliver judgement after parties completed adopted their final addresses on Monday.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ado Birnin Kudu, at the resumed hearing on Monday, said the date for the ruling would be communicated to the parties through their representative counsels.
During the hearing and adoption of the final addresses by all parties on Monday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the independent National Electoral Commission as 1st and 3rd respondents abandoned the 2nd respondent (the candidate of the APC, Ahmed Usman Ododo) on the issues of certificate forgery and alleged forged declaration of age.
The petitioner’s counsel, PA Akubo SAN and others, during presentation also focused heavily on the non-qualification of the candidate, alleged forgery, over-voting, and other irregularities, mostly in the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State.
In contrast, the 1st and 3rd respondents, led by Kanu Agabi SAN, CE Ukala SAN, and others, largely ignored these issues, leaving it for Ododo, to address the tribunal.
Counsel to Ododo, BA Odaudu SAN and others, argued that the issues of qualification are pre-election matters and did not raise any defense regarding the authenticity of the certificate and the declaration of age.
Instead, they asked the court to strike out the case on the grounds of lack of merit and justification.
They also claimed that the filing date of the court process by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was out of time and urged the tribunal to dismiss the case.
After listening to all the parties involved, Tribunal Chairman Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu thanked the senior counsels, lawyers, and litigants for their cooperation and adjourned the case for judgment at a date to be communicated to both parties in the case.
