The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the elections of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, alongside his counterparts in Bayelsa, Douye Diri, and Kogi, Usman Ododo.
The trio had emerged as winners in the off-cycle governorship elections held on November 11, 2023, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In Imo State, INEC declared Uzodimma the winner with 540,308 votes, defeating Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Athan Achonu of the Labour Party (LP). The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals from both the PDP and LP candidates, ruling that they failed to prove allegations of electoral malpractice.
In Kogi State, Usman Ododo’s victory was also confirmed by the Supreme Court. His main challenger, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), had contested the results but was unsuccessful in proving substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
In Bayelsa State, the Supreme Court upheld Douye Diri’s re-election, dismissing the appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Timipre Sylva, who had filed multiple notices of appeal. The apex court ruled that Sylvaโs appeal was an abuse of the judicial process.
These rulings solidify the positions of Uzodimma, Ododo, and Diri as the duly elected governors in their respective states.
