The election petition tribunal in Lokoja has affirmed Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the valid winner of the February 25 Kogi Central Senatorial District election.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, the tribunal chairman, Justice K.A. Orjiakoin ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) scored 54,064 votes to edge out her closest challenger, Sadiku Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 51,291 votes.
Based on this, the tribunal declared Akpoti-Uduaghan as the bonafide winner of the hotly contested senatorial election. The ruling directed Ohere to pay Akpoti-Uduaghan the sum of N500,000 as the cost of litigation for the petition.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had approached the tribunal to contest the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which declared Ohere as winner.
In her petition, she cited electoral malpractices and inaccuracies in the votes recorded at various polling units and collation centers.
After evaluating the evidence and testimonies, the tribunal concluded that Akpoti-Uduaghan fulfilled the constitutional requirements to be declared winner.
The landmark judgment upturns the former announcement that gave victory to Ohere and APC. Akpoti-Uduaghan overcame extensive obstacles after being consistently edged out in previous election cycles in Kogi State.
The tribunal’s ruling has validated Akpoti-Uduaghan’s dogged determination and vindicated her long-running pursuit of the Kogi Central senatorial seat through democratic means.
