Tribunal declares Natasha Akpoti winner of Kogi Central Senatorial election
The election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja has declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the February 25 Kogi Central Senatorial election.
The court further declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan as the actual winner of the February senatorial election.
The Tribunal Chairman, Justice K. A. Orjiako, who read the unanimous judgement of the three-man panel, said Ohere results were inflated in nine polling units of Ajaokuta Local Government Area (LGA) while that of Natasha was intentionally reduced in the areas by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as three other polling units result that was deliberately not entered for Natasha in the same LGA.
The court after making the proper correction, declared Natasha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the poll having polled 54,074 against Ohere (APC) who polled 51,291.
However, the court chided INEC for deliberately going out of its mandate of conducting a free and fair election by conniving with political parties to subvert the will of the people.
The tribunal therefore ordered INEC to pay N500,000 to the PDP candidate for ‘subverting justice’ in the Senatorial election.
In his response, Johnson Usman (SAN) , counsel to Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan, said the judgment has now validated the true winner of the Central Senatorial District election.
“This is victory for people of Kogi Central Senatorial district, victory for Kogi on general and victory for the election processes”, he said .
