Photo: Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan, Kogi Central Senator-Elect.
Kogi gets female senator as Appeal Court affirms PDP’s Natasha senator-elect
The Senate has got a female member as the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday, affirmed the victory of Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of Kogi Central Senatorial election held in February.
The Kogi State National and State Assemblies Tribunal, had, on Sept 6, declared Mrs Akpoti-Uduagan, who is a lawyer and renowned philanthropist, as the validly elected candidate for the poll and invalidated the victory of All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Abubakar Ohere.
Delivering judgment, the three-member panel upheld the earlier judgment of the Kogi State election petition tribunal which had upheld her victory in the election and dismissed the appeal filed by Sen. Abubakar Ohere.
The Appeal Court also held that the submission of Natasha’s counsel, Mr Joshua Usman, SAN, was meritorious and awarded the sum of N500, 000 against the Ohere.
Earlier at the tribunal, its Chairman, Justice K. A. Orjiako, had in a unanimous judgment of the three-man panel, declared that Sen. Ohere’s results were inflated in nine polling units in the Ajaokuta Local Government Area.
He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission reduced Natasha’s results in those areas and omitted the results of three other polling units meant for Natasha in the same LGA.
Following the necessary corrections, the court declared Natasha as the winner of the election with 54,074 votes, surpassing Ohere, who garnered 51,291 votes.
However, unsatisfied with the tribunal’s decision, Ohere proceeded to the Court of Appeal seeking to upturn the election, but failed.
