Nigeria: Kogi - Civil Society Tasks Supreme Court On Relevant Evidence

13 August 2024

A prominent civil society group, the Electoral Integrity and Good Governance Initiative, has called on the Supreme Court to prioritise the relevance of evidence in the ongoing Kogi State gubernatorial election dispute.

As the apex court prepares to review and hear the case, the group emphasised the importance of considering all relevant evidence, regardless of its origin, to ensure substantial justice in the highly contentious legal battle.

In a statement issued yesterday, the group's spokesperson, Barrister Aishat Ohunene, cited six critical rulings by the Supreme Court that uphold the principle of prioritising relevance in evidence consideration.

She said, "These rulings emphasise that admissible evidence should be determined by its relevance to the case rather than its source." The group argues that dwelling on the origin of evidence may lead to the exclusion of crucial information and potentially result in an unjust outcome.

"As the Kogi State gubernatorial election case remains a subject of legal contention, it is essential to revisit the Supreme Court's consistent stance on prioritising relevance in evidence consideration," it said.

The Electoral Integrity and Good Governance Initiative believes prioritising relevance over the source of evidence will be key to delivering a just and fair verdict in the Kogi State gubernatorial election case.

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