Breaking: Tribunal Declares Natasha Akpoti Winner Of Kogi Central Senatorial Election

The election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja has declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the February 25 Kogi Central Senatorial election.

The tribunal Chairman, Justice K.A. Orjiako in his ruling on Wednesday said Uduaghan scored 54,064 votes to defeat his closest rival Sadiku-Ohere who polled 51,291 votes.

He urged Ohere to pay Akpoti-Uduaghan N500,000 for the cost of the petition. Ohere is of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The PDP female candidate had filed her petition at the National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Kogi after she was declared second in the Central Senatorial election.

When the case came up for adoption of written addresses before the tribunal led by Justice K.A. Ojiako, Counsel to Sadiku-Ohere, APC and INEC, Messers M.Y. Abdullahi (SAN), S.A. Abbas and Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively, prayed the tribunal to dismiss her petition for lacking in merit.

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The counsel to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Umeh Kalu (SAN) and Johnson Usman (SAN) in adopting their written address debunked the claims of INEC and Sadiku-Ohere, and prayed the Court disregard their submissions and prayers and allow the petition.

Usman, who spoke, said their address was explicit about their disagreement with the issues raised by the INEC and sadiku-Ohere in their written addresses.