Tribunal Declares Natasha Winner of Kogi Central Senatorial Seat
•Ohere: I’ll appeal the Judgement
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja
Kogi State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lokoja,yesterday, declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Kogi Central senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as winner of the February 25 National Assembly election.
The tribunal, therefore, nullified the victory of Senator Abubakar Ohere, who expectedly, has vowed to appeal the ruling.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice K. A. Orjiako, who read the unanimous judgment of the 3-man panel, said Ohere’s results were inflated in nine polling units of Ajaokuta LGA while that of Natasha was intentionally reduced in the same nine polling units by the INEC ward collation officers.
He explained that three other polling units results were deliberately not entered for Natasha in the same LGA.
The tribunal said Natasha’s result in the nine polling units of Ajaokuta LGA was 1073 against the 77 that was recorded by the ward collation officers while that of the APC candidate, Abubakar Ohere was inflated to 1553 against the actual figure of 1031.
“The Tribunal is also convinced that the petitioners 996 votes in polling units 009, 046 and O49 polling units of Ganaja village of Ajaokuta LGA was deliberately not recorded at the Ward Collation centre,” noting that, it is not the duty of collation officers to reject results submitted by presiding officers from polling units in election that followed the electoral guidelines substantially.
His words: “The issues raised by the petitioner is hereby resolved in favour of the petitioners and after making the proper correction, Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan (PDP) having polled 54,074 against Abubakar Ohere (APC) who polled 51,291 is hereby declared the authentic winner.”
The Tribunal subsequently ordered the 3rd respondent (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Ohere and issue same to Natasha.
The Tribunal also condemned INEC for deliberately going out of its mandate of conducting a free and fair election to conniving with political parties to subvert the will of the people.
Justice K. A. Orjiako ordered INEC to pay N500,000 to Natasha for ‘subverting justice’ in the Senatorial election.
Meanwhile, Ohere, in a statement personally signed, said, “I received the judgement of the Tribunal with great shock. Particularly worrisome is the aspect bordering on the Tribunal’s decision that as Respondent, I ought to have filed a cross-petition to be able to challenge votes in an election petition.
“I feel strongly that, that the decision is contrary to paragraph 15 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2022. As a matter of fact, I presented before the Tribunal through my team of lawyers a decision of the Appellate Courts, which held that a Respondent does not need to file a cross-petition to challenge votes in an election petition, if the ground for challenging the election is ‘majority of lawful votes’.
“While I am waiting for my team of lawyers to give me full details on the judgment, I urge all my supporters to be calm and peaceful as their mandate is not lost. I verily know that I have the option of Appeal to the Court of Appeal, which I shall exercise after due consultation with my lawyers.
“I am confident that we shall triumph at the next floor of justice by pointing to areas where we strongly disagree with the ruling. Your mandate shall be protected. I urge my supporters not to be disturbed but to believe that we will get it right,” he stressed.
