‘You frustrated electoral process’ — Natasha Akpoti tackles Yahaya Bello on a’court verdict

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have reacted to the verdict of the appeal court on the Kogi central senatorial district election.

On Tuesday, the court of appeal in Abuja affirmed Akpoti-Uduaghan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as winner of the senatorial election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the February 25 poll.

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

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

In September, the election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja had nullified Ohere’s election and declared Akpoti-Uduaghan as winner.

KOGI GOVERNOR REACTS

Speaking with journalists at the presidential villa on Tuesday, Bello said he accepted the decision of the appeal court affirming Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the election.

The Kogi governor congratulated those who participated in the electoral process, saying it is the beauty of democracy.

He added that Sadiku-Ohere and Akpoti-Uduaghan are his brother and sister from the same tribe.

“Let me use this medium to congratulate those who participated in the electoral process. This is the beauty of democracy,” he said.

“As the leader of the APC in my state, I won’t want to lose one seat to any opposition party in Kogi state.

“However, both Natasha and Engineer Sadiku-Ohere are my brother and sister. We all hail from the same senatorial district, tribe and heritage.”

AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN SPEAKS

Reacting during an interview with Channels Television, Akpoti-Uduaghan criticised the Kogi governor for using the phrase “beauty of democracy”.

The senator-elect said the governor should not be talking about democracy when people’s lives and properties were destroyed in the buildup to the election.

“He (Yahaya Bello) said this is the beauty of politics. This is not the beauty of politics,” she said.

“You don’t endanger people, you don’t destroy properties, and you don’t frustrate the electoral process just because you want your candidate to win and call it ‘the beauty of democracy’.”