Smart vs Kogi APC : Court Fixes Oct 3 For Judgment

By Garry Ochigbo

The Supreme Court on Thursday in Abuja fixed October 3 for final judgment in a suit filed by Senator Smart Adeyemi challenging the conduct of the April 14, 2023 primary election of the All Progressives congress (APC), for Kogi state governorship election.

Adeyemi is challenging the validity of the primary election which produced Ahmed Usman Ododo as APC’s flagbearer for the November 11 governorship election.

The grouse of the appellant is that the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the guidelines of the APC were compromised during the primary election.

Specifically, Adeyemi who recently represented Kogi West senatorial district in the Senate is claiming that the result brought out by APC in suport of Ododo was fraudulent and invalid on the grounds that the primary election was conducted in only 11 out of 239 wards in the state.

A Federal high court in Abuja and the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal had however delivered judgments against him on the grounds that the allegations of malpractices were not proved as required by law, promting him to go to Supreme Court.

At Thursday’s hearing of the Appeal at the Supreme Court, Adeyemi lawyer’s Musibawu Adedtunmbi, after adopting his briefs prayed the Apex Court to grant the reliefs sought by Adeyemi.

The Senior lawyer argued that the primary election of April 14 was conducted in gross violation of section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

However the APC represented by Abdulwahab Mohammed prayed the Supreme Court panel, headed by Justice John Inyang Okoro to dismiss Adeyemi’s appeal on the grounds that it is against the concurrent findings of facts by the Court of Appel and the Supreme Court.

Similarly the third respondent, Usman Ahmed Ododo through his counsel, Francis Ekpa asked the Supreme court to dismiss the appeal on the grounds that it has become academic, adding that the 180 days within which APC can conduct another primary election for nomination of candidate has since lapsed.

Justice Okoro after taking arguments from the parties announced that the final judgment will be delivered on October 3.

Edited By Grace Namiji