The Supreme Court has postponed the appeal lodged by Senator Smart Adeyemi against the rulings of lower courts pertaining to the Kogi APC Governorship primary election. The judgment for this appeal has been rescheduled for October 23, 2023.
Senator Adeyemi had initiated a lawsuit at the Federal High Court with the aim of invalidating the All Progressive Congress (APC) primary election in Kogi State. This primary election had resulted in the selection of Usman Ododo as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for the state’s election scheduled for November 11.
Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal had dismissed Adeyemi’s case, citing a lack of merit. The Supreme Court, during the hearing of his appeal, pointed out that he was challenging the consistent findings of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the occurrence of primary elections in Kogi State. However, Adeyemi’s legal representative, Musibau Adetumbi, SAN, expressed his intention to proceed with the appeal.
Consequently, the Supreme Court decided to adjourn the appeal and set the date for judgment as October 23, 2023.
Representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Usman Ododo were present during the proceedings. These representatives included Chief Anthony Adeniyi (SAN), Abdulwahab Mohammed (SAN), and M.Y. Abdullahi, SAN, respectively.
Previously, the Court of Appeal, on August 18, 2023, unanimously ruled that the appeal presented by Adekunle Otitoju on behalf of Senator Adeyemi lacked merit. The court determined that Adeyemi had failed to substantiate the serious criminal allegations he had made against the conduct of the APC primary election and its leaders.