A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has on Wednesday set July 18, 2023 for ruling in a suit seeking the disqualification governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Usman Ododo
from the November 11 gubernatorial election in Kogi
State.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu set the judgment date after hearing dispositions from the plaintiff in the suit, Abubakar Achimugu; APC; the governorship candidate and others joined in the suit.
During the Wednesday’s hearing, plaintiff in the suit, Abubakar Achimugu through this counsel, Josiah
Daniel-Ebune drew the attention of Justice Egwuatu
to 16 exhibits tendered by his client to support his
amended originating summons requesting for disqualification of Ododo from the governorship
race.
He insisted that the APC flag bearer breached sections 20, 21, 124, 147 of the 1999 Constitution and section 159 of the Evidence Act through his failure to resign his appointment with the Kogi State Government at the time he purchased the Expression of interest form and also stood for the primary election that purportedly produced him as candidate.
The aggrieved governorship aspirant urged the Judge to
invoke the provisions of the law to disqualify the gubernatorial candidate on the grounds of illegality in the ways and manners he emerged.
The lawyer cited several provisions of the law and
Supreme Court judgment in similar matters to determine the status of Ododo at the time he stood for the primary election and asked the Court to grant the request of the plaintiff.
However in defense, the governorship candidate
asked the Federal High Court to dismiss the suit seeking his disqualification from the race.
Mr Musa Abdullahi SAN, counsel to Ododo told the Court that contrary to the allegations in the suit, he
resigned formally from the employment of Kogi State as required by law.
The APC candidate maintained that he broke no law at the time he picked the Expression of Interest form of his party and at the time he stood for the primary election and won.
He stated that he tendered his resignation on March 8, 2023 through the office of the State Governor and that the same was received by the appropriate body the same day.
He cited section 306 of the 1999 Constitution adding that whether his resignation was acknowledged, accepted or not, it has started to take effect from the date of submission.
Ododo averred that the plaintiff in the suit could not contradict his claim of resignation with any documentary evidence especially with either pay slips or salary payment.
Besides, the APC governorship candidate argued that the plaintiff jumped the gun in the way and manners he instituted the suit adding that the cause for action had not arisen at the time the case was filed.
He asked the court to rely on his 19 paragraphs
affidavit to dismiss the case of the plaintiff for lacking in merit and for being incompetent and baseless.
