Tribunal sacks APC senator, declares PDP’s Natasha Akpoti as winner

The election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja has declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the Kogi central senatorial district election.

The tribunal, led by Kemakolam Ojiako, in its ruling on Wednesday, declared Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the senatorial election conducted on February 25.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Kogi central senatorial election.

Rotimi Ajayi, INEC returning officer for the district, had announced that Sadiku-Ohere garnered 52,132 votes to beat Natasha who had 51,763 votes.

The margin of victory was 369 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Natasha approached the tribunal with a petition seeking to nullify the victory of Sadiku-Ohere and her declaration as the winner of the election.

After hearing the arguments of the parties in the petition in July, the tribunal reserved judgment in the case.