A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore Natasha Akpoti as candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi state.
Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa, the presiding judge, gave the order on Thursday.
She held that INEC has no power to disqualify any candidate for an election as contained in sections 31(1) and 83 of the Electoral Act.
The judge, therefore, ordered INEC to include the names of the governorship and deputy governorship candidate of the SDP as well as the party’s logo on the ballot for the November 16 governorship election.
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Akpoti, Adams Khalid, the deputy governorship candidate, and the SDP had approached the court to challenge their exclusion from the election.
INEC had refused to accept Khalid after he was used to replace Mohammed Yakubu who was disqualified on account of his age.
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