Tribunal declares Natasha winner of Kogi Central Senatorial election

The Kogi State Election Tribunal has declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because the winner of the 25 February Senatorial election within the Kogi Central Senatorial District.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan disclosed this on her verified Fb web page.

The three-member panel of judges, led by Ok. A. Orjiako, on the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal unanimously declared her winner of the election after nullifying the victory of the All Progress Congress (APC) candidate, Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere.

Mr Orjiako, a decide, said that the sooner introduced outcomes through which Mr Sadiku-Ohere was declared winner by the Impartial Nationwide Election Fee (INEC) have been inflated in 9 polling items of Ajaokuta Native Authorities Space (LGA ) whereas the votes of Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan have been deliberately decreased by INEC Ward Collation officers.

The panel determined to make sufficient corrections primarily based on the proof offered earlier than it and declared Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan because the rightful winner of the ballot, having polled 54,074 towards Mr Sadiku-Ohere (APC) who polled 51,291 votes.

“After making the right corrections, Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan (PDP), having polled 54,074 towards Abubakar Ohere’s 51,291, is hereby declared the genuine winner,” Mr Orjiako declared.

He defined additional: “In the course of the collation of outcomes, three different polling items’ consequence was intentionally not entered for Natasha in the identical Native Authorities.

“From the items of proof earlier than this tribunal, Natasha’s votes within the 9 polling items of Ajaokuta have been 1073 towards the 77 recorded by the ward collation officers, whereas these scored by Ohere have been inflated to 1553 towards the precise determine of 1031.

“In view of this, we’re satisfied that the petitioners’ 996 votes in polling items 009, 046 and O49 polling items of Ganaja village of Ajaokuta have been intentionally not recorded on the Ward Collation Centre.

“It’s not the obligation of collation officers to reject outcomes submitted by Presiding Officers from polling items in an election that adopted the electoral pointers considerably. That officer failed in his obligation.”

In line with him, all points raised by the petitioner have been resolved in her favour.

The chairman ordered the third respondent (INEC) to withdraw the certificates of return issued to Mr Ohere and concern the identical to Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The tribunal strongly chided INEC for intentionally going out of its mandate of conducting a free and truthful election to connive with political events to subvert the need of the folks.

Earlier than the judgement

After the collation of the Kogi Central Election outcomes, INEC had declared Mr Sadiku-Ohere of the APC because the winner of the election within the district.

The INEC returning officer, Rotimi Ajayi, a professor, mentioned Mr Sadiku-Ohere polled a complete of 52,132 votes towards Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s 51,763 votes.

He said that the APC acquired the best variety of votes to defeat the PDP candidate because the senator-elect.

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“Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the APC, having scored the best votes within the election for the Kogi Central Senatorial seat, is hereby declared the winner and is subsequently returned elected,” Mr Ajayi mentioned on the time.

The tribunal on Tuesday nullified the victory of Jibrin Isah of the APC because the winner of the Kogi East Senatorial Election. It ordered INEC to conduct supplementary elections within the district.