Natasha Akpoti drags INEC, APC’s Saidku-Ohere to election tribunal

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Abubakar Saidku-Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the election petition tribunal. 

Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Kogi Central senatorial election on February 25, is challenging INEC’s declaration of Mr Saidku-Ohere as the winner of the election. 

In the petition seen by Peoples Gazette on Friday, Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan is requesting that the election petition tribunal declare her the winner of the election.

She said Mr Saidku-Ohere was incorrectly declared the victor by INEC, arguing that he didn’t receive the majority of the legitimate votes cast at the election.

Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was joined in the suit by her party, said INEC incorrectly calculated the total votes she received at Ajaokuta LGA, resulting in the incorrect declaration of Mr Saidku-Ohere as the winner.

Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan asserted that the INEC wrongly computed voting data during the election, erroneously awarding 933 votes meant for PDP to APC.

She further claimed that she received a total of 54,064 votes as opposed to the 51,763 votes reported by INEC, and requested that the tribunal proclaim her winner of the election that took place on February 25.

Recall that INEC declared Mr Sadiku-Ohere as winner of the February 25 election as announced by Rotimi Ajayi, returning officer for Kogi Central senatorial district. 

Mr Ajayi declared that Mr Sadiku-Ohere garnered 52,132 votes against Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan’s 51,763 to clinch the seat, a difference of 369 votes between them.