JUST IN: Supreme Court Rejects Ajaka’s Request for Full Panel in Kogi Gubernatorial Dispute

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the recent Kogi State governorship election, who sought the constitution of a full panel to hear an issue central to his appeal.

Ajaka, alongside his party, had filed an appeal (marked SC/CV/654/2024) requesting the Supreme Court to overturn the previous decisions of the Court of Appeal and the election tribunal, both of which had upheld the victory of Ahmed Usman Ododo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the November 11 election.

During the proceedings on Monday, Pius Akubo, the lawyer representing Ajaka, informed the court that his client had petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) for a full panel to deliberate on specific issues highlighted in Paragraphs 4.28 and 4.29 of the appellants’ brief of argument. These paragraphs, Akubo argued, necessitate the court to reconsider its earlier rulings in determining the current appeal.

However, the respondents’ counsel, including Kanu Agabi (SAN) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joseph Daudu (SAN) for Ododo, and Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) for the APC, opposed the application, deeming it unnecessary. They urged the court to proceed with the appeal as presently constituted.

Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, leading the five-member panel, ruled that the issue in question represented only a portion of the entire appeal. He emphasized that the current panel had the capacity to hear and decide the case. Consequently, Justice Garba dismissed the application for a full panel and called on Akubo to proceed with the hearing.

Following the identification and adoption of briefs by both parties, the court reserved its judgment to a later date, which will be communicated to all involved.