Yahaya Bello: APC will retrieve senatorial seat from Natasha

Tribunal: Bello Confident Of ‘Three Over Three’ Kogi APC Senators After Natasha’s Victory

Kogi governor Yahaya Bello has vowed that the All Progressives Congress, APC will take back the two senatorial seats it recently lost through tribunal rulings to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja had few days ago nullified the election of the senator representing Kogi East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Jibrin Isah-Echocho on the ground that elections were cancelled in 94 polling units.

The tribunal also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a supplementary election in the affected 94 polling units.

The Tribunal delivered the judgment in the petition filed against the election of Echocho of APC by Victor Adoji, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 25 February election.

Adoji had challenged the result of the election over claims that elections were cancelled in some polling units where the PVCs collected were more than the margin of his win.

Already, Echocho has indicated that he will appeal the judgment of the tribunal.

Also, the tribunal had nullified the victory of Abubakar Ohere of APC, the Senator representing Kogi East and declared Natasha Akpoti of PDP the winner of the election.

The Tribunal said the votes recorded for Ohere in the election were inflated in nine polling units of Ajaokuta Local Government Area (LGA) of the senatorial district.

The Tribunal said facts placed before it indicated that Natasha’s votes were intentionally reduced in the areas by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It also said results of three other polling units in the LGA were not recorded for Natasha.

After adding the votes, the tribunal declared Natasha Akpoti of PDP as the winner of the poll having polled 54,074 against 51,291 for Ohere.

However, Governor Bello told journalists at the Aso Rock presidential villa on Thursday that APC will retrieve the two seats from the PDP candidates at the higher court.

He added that APC will at the end of the day retain all the three senatorial seats it won at the February 25 National Assembly Assembly election.

“I want to assure you that even judging from yesterday’s pronouncement at the appeal court, we’re going to have our three-over-three senate in Kogi State, I can assure you,” he told State House Correspondents in Abuja on Thursday.