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Kogi Election: Appeal Court reserves judgment in SDP, Ajaka’s appeal against Ododo
The Court of Appeal sitting on Abuja has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP), in the November 11, 2023 Kogi State governorship election, Murtala Ajaka, challenging the judgement of the State Election Petition Tribunal which affirmed Ahmed Ododo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the elected governor of the state.
A three-member of Justices of the appellate court reserved judgment on Thursday to a date that would be communicated to parties after the adoption of all their briefs they filed in the matter.
While adopting the processes filed on behalf of the appellants, Pius Akubo, SAN, urged the court to set aside the judgement of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and declare Ajaka as the governor of Kogi State.
According to Akubo, the judgement of the Tribunal which affirmed Ododo’s election was a serious miscarriage of justice.
He said the expunge of the evidence of the first petitioners’ witness (PW1) by the Tribunal was a miscarriage of justice.
According to him, the appellants have demonstrated that election in three local government areas of Kogi state was contaminated by over voting.
He argued that Ajaka would have won if the election was properly conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act.
“Having regards to Section 134(1)(3) of the Electoral Act, the 2nd respondent was not qualified to contest in the election, having submitted forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he stated.
Akubo urged the court to hold that the the issue of qualification of the 2nd respondent is not a pre-election matter and pleaded with the court to set aside the decision of the Tribunal and declare Ajaka winner of the November 11, 2023 Kogi state governorship election.
In his own submission, Kanu Agabi, SAN, while adopting the briefs filed on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), prayed the court to dismiss the appeal filed by Ajaka and his party for lacking in merit.
He said there were inconsistencies in the case of the appellants and further argued that the Appeal Court had decided that if the grounds of a petition are inconsistent with one another, and are not consistent with the reliefs, it should be struck out.
Agabi also argued that the evidence of the petitioners were grossly insufficient and submitted that, once the evidence called is grossly insufficient, there is no evidence.
He said the petitioners only called 25 witnesses out of the scores listed and further argued that, out of the 25 witnesses called by the petitioners, there was no single polling unit agent among them.
Agabi also argued that the PW1 did not file any witness deposition before hand as required by law and as such cannot give evidence in an election petition.
Joseph Daudu, SAN, in his own submission on Ododo’s behalf, said no single evidence of PW1 was admitted as evidence by the Tribunal on the ground that he failed to front load his witness statement before hand.
Daudu said the Tribunal was right to have expunged the evidence of PW1, having declared it inadmissible and added that the appellants failed to prove the allegation of over voting in their petition.
He also urged the court to dismiss the allegations of forgery against his client, saying it bordered on pre-election matter, which the apex court had decided in Gbagi’s case against INEC.
Daudu, who said the appellants failed to prove allegation of over-voting, also argued that Section 137 of the Electoral Act cited by the petitioners on allegations of over-voting did not apply in the petition.
He urged the court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgement of the Tribunal which upheld the election of Ododo.
Corroborating Daudu’s argument, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, who appeared for APC, prayed the Appeal Court to dismiss the petition for being incompetent.
Ajaka and his party, in the appeal, hinged on 31 grounds, insist that they are the winners of the November 11, 2023 governorship election and should be declared the rightful winner.
The appellants who are dissatisfied with the decision of the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal headed by Justice Ado Yusuf Birnin Kudu, are praying the court for an order setting aside the judgement of the Tribunal, an order restoring the testimony of their first witness (PW1) as well as all the documents they tendered that were expunged from the records of the Tribunal.
The appellants also want that Appeal Court to hold that Ododo was not even qualified to have contested the election into the office of Governor of Kogi State and that all votes ascribed and or allocated to him and the APC are wasted votes.
It would be recalled that the tribunal had, on May 27, affirmed the victory of Ododo of the APC in the November 11, 2023 Kogi governorship poll.
The three-member panel of justices, held that the petition was bereft of substance and accordingly dismissed it.
The tribunal held that SDP and Ajaka failed to prove the allegations of over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 in the petition.
The panel, in a unanimous, decision held that all the witness evidence filed before it were incompetent and full of inconsistencies.
It also agreed with the submissions of the respondents that the allegations of forgery raised in the petition were pre-election matter, which ought to have been raised 14 days after the documents were submitted to INEC.
Kogi had, on November 11, 2023, held its off-cycle election in which Ododo of the APC was declared winner by INEC.
A man reportedly from Uburu in Ebonyi State has been arrested in Ikpeze, Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, over the alleged rape and killing of a young girl from the Onuoha family.
According to reports, the suspect allegedly raped the girl before killing her and dumping her body in a nearby bush.
The incident has sparked concern among residents, with many calling for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the young girl’s death and ensure that justice is served.
The identity of the suspect and other details surrounding the incident have yet to be fully disclosed.
As of the time of filing this report, the Imo State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
Further details are expected as investigations progress.
UPDATE: Young Woman Umuora Mmesoma, Reportedly Killed by Ex-Boyfriend in Anambra, Buried
Meanwhile, Umuora Mmesoma, a young woman reportedly killed by her former boyfriend in Uga, Anambra State, has been laid to rest.
Mmesoma was reportedly declared missing on Friday, October 16, 2026, before her body was later discovered.
According to accounts circulating on social media, her former boyfriend, identified as Chima, allegedly killed her following the end of their relationship.
The suspect reportedly confessed to the crime, claiming that he killed Mmesoma in his house, placed her body inside a bag and dumped it at another location.
Her burial has left family members, friends and loved ones mourning the tragic loss of a young life.
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals following a major security breach reportedly involving about $6.3 billion in digital assets.
The exchange said its preliminary investigation indicated that an attacker may have gained unauthorised access to its systems through a compromised laptop belonging to an engineer.
In a statement released on Thursday, Binance disclosed that it was working with blockchain intelligence firms, cryptocurrency issuers and law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident and recover the affected assets.
“The estimated total impact sits at around $6.3B. We have worked with blockchain partners to freeze affected assets, with $3 billion frozen on-chain so far,” the company said.
Binance explained that its initial findings suggested the attacker had compromised a DevOps engineer’s laptop, potentially enabling access to a service container through which unauthorised withdrawal transactions were submitted.
However, the exchange said it had found no evidence that private keys, which provide access to cryptocurrency wallets, had been exposed.
The company subsequently suspended deposits and withdrawals while its security team conducted checks and worked to contain the incident.
“Our teams are aware of reports of a potential security issue and are actively investigating. User funds are completely safe,” Binance said in a post on X.
North Korean Hackers Suspected
Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has linked the incident to TraderTraitor, a cybercrime operation associated with North Korean hackers.
If the reported losses are confirmed, the incident would rank as the largest cryptocurrency theft on record, surpassing the $1.5 billion cryptocurrency theft from the Bybit exchange in 2025, which was attributed to North Korean hackers.
However, investigations into the Binance incident are ongoing, and the full circumstances surrounding the attack have yet to be conclusively established.
The incident has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of cryptocurrency platforms to cyberattacks, particularly those involving compromised employee devices and unauthorised access to internal systems.
Tether, Circle Freeze Funds
Major cryptocurrency companies have moved to limit the potential losses by freezing digital assets believed to be connected to the incident.
Tether Chief Executive Officer Paolo Ardoino said the company had frozen approximately $1.5 billion in USDT, its dollar-linked stablecoin.
Circle, the issuer of another major stablecoin, also reportedly froze about $800 million in assets amid reports of a potential security breach at Binance.
Binance said the amount of frozen funds could increase as investigators and industry partners continue tracing transactions across different blockchain networks.
The exchange is working with relevant stakeholders to identify the movement of the affected assets and prevent further transfers where possible.
Bitcoin, BNB Prices Fall
The reported security breach triggered a negative reaction in the cryptocurrency market, with major digital assets recording significant declines.
Bitcoin fell by approximately four per cent to $77,229 in the hours following reports of the incident.
BNB, the native token of the blockchain ecosystem developed by Binance, also dropped by about 7.5 per cent.
The price movements reflect investor concerns about the potential consequences of a major security incident at a leading cryptocurrency exchange.
Binance, which was established in 2017, reportedly holds approximately $140 billion in digital assets, making its security arrangements and ability to protect customer funds significant to the wider cryptocurrency industry.
CZ Says Customer Funds Should Be Covered
Binance co-founder and former chief executive, Changpeng Zhao, popularly known as CZ, also commented on the incident.
Although he stepped down from management of the exchange in 2023 following a settlement with United States authorities over anti-money-laundering compliance failures, Zhao said he expected customer funds to be protected.
As a shareholder, he expressed confidence that users would not ultimately bear the financial losses associated with the incident.
Binance has also indicated that it would cover eligible customer losses using its own resources, including its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU), an emergency fund established to provide an additional layer of protection for customers.
The company’s final assessment of the losses and the extent of customer exposure will depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
Polymarket Reports Separate Security Incident
The Binance incident emerged just hours after Polymarket, a popular prediction market, reported a separate security issue involving one of its third-party service providers.
Polymarket temporarily suspended trading after discovering that the provider had been compromised, potentially exposing some users to unauthorised activity involving their accounts.
The platform said it had referred the matter to law enforcement and promised to compensate affected users.
The two incidents have raised fresh questions about the security of cryptocurrency trading platforms and the risks associated with third-party technology providers.
In recent years, cryptocurrency exchanges and decentralised finance platforms have repeatedly been targeted by hackers seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in software, digital wallets and internal security systems.
Crypto Industry Faces Growing Security Threats
The reported Binance breach comes amid continuing concerns over cryptocurrency theft and the growing sophistication of cybercriminal operations.
According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, North Korean-linked hackers stole approximately $2 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, representing a 50 per cent increase from the previous year.
In another major incident, hackers reportedly stole about $280 million from the Drift cryptocurrency exchange in April.
The latest developments have highlighted the importance of stronger cybersecurity controls, effective monitoring of employee devices, rapid detection of suspicious transactions and cooperation between cryptocurrency companies and law enforcement agencies.
For Binance, the immediate priority remains containing the incident, tracing the affected funds and establishing the full extent of the losses.
The company is expected to release a detailed technical report after completing its investigation and verifying the facts surrounding the breach.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, the Islamic lesser pilgrimage, as part of a religious visit to the Kingdom.
Tinubu arrived at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Thursday evening, where he was received by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yakubu Gambo, and the Saudi head of royal protocol, Ahmad bin Thafir.
The President is expected to proceed to Makkah, the holy city where Muslims from across the world gather to perform the religious rites associated with Umrah.
According to the travel schedule, Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing the pilgrimage.
Umrah is a voluntary Islamic pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time of the year, unlike Hajj, which takes place during a specific period in the Islamic calendar. The religious exercise involves a series of rites performed in Makkah and is regarded by Muslims as an opportunity for spiritual reflection, repentance and seeking Allah’s blessings.
The visit marks another religious journey by the President since assuming office on May 29, 2023.
Tinubu previously visited Makkah in November 2023, shortly after participating in the Saudi-African Summit in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital. During that visit, he also performed Umrah and sought divine guidance for his administration and the affairs of Nigeria.
His latest trip comes as his administration continues to grapple with major national issues, including economic reforms, the cost of living, security challenges and efforts to stimulate investment and economic growth.
Although the visit is primarily religious, it also highlights the President’s continued engagement with Saudi Arabia, an important partner for Nigeria in areas such as energy, trade, investment and religious affairs.
Since taking office, Tinubu has undertaken numerous foreign trips involving bilateral meetings, multilateral summits, investment engagements and diplomatic visits across several continents.
The frequency of presidential foreign travel has also generated public discussion about the costs, benefits and outcomes of overseas engagements, particularly at a time when Nigerians are concerned about economic hardship and the need for improved living standards.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that international engagements are intended to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic relations, attract investment and advance the country’s economic and strategic interests.
Tinubu’s return next week is expected to mark the conclusion of the religious visit, after which he is expected to resume his presidential responsibilities in Nigeria.
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Tinubu Departs for Saudi Arabia to Perform Umrah, Pray for Nigeria
