It has been reported that the Kogi State National and State Assemblies Tribunal declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan the duly elected candidate in the recent election.
On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan's election victory for the Kogi Central Senatorial seat, which took place in February.
In a judgment rendered by a three-member panel, the court upheld the state's election tribunal decision. It dismissed the appeal of Senator Abubakar Ohere of the All-Progressives Congress (APC). The court concurred with the arguments put forth by Joshua Usman, SAN, who represented Akpoti-Uduagan, acknowledging their merit.
Additionally, the appellate court imposed a fine of ₦500,000 against Senator Ohere. The Kogi State National and State Assemblies Tribunal had previously, on September 6, affirmed Akpoti-Uduagan as the rightful victor in the election and invalidated Senator Ohere's victory.
In delivering the unanimous verdict, Tribunal Chairman Justice K. A. Orjiako disclosed that Senator Ohere's vote totals had been inflated in nine polling units in the Ajaokuta Local Government Area. Furthermore, the Independent National Electoral Commission had adjusted Natasha's results in these areas while omitting the results of three other polling units meant for Natasha in the same LGA.
After these corrections, the court declared Natasha the election winner with 54,074 votes, surpassing Senator Ohere's 51,291 votes. However, Senator Ohere, dissatisfied with the outcome, approached the Court of Appeal to overturn the election results.
