Election may have come and gone but the irregularities that characterized the polls which robbed some candidates of their ‘victories’ have forced them to seek justice in court to reclaim what they termed as a “stolen mandate”.
In Kogi Central Senatorial district, the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barr. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has vowed to seek justice in court to correct the “irregularities” during the poll and reclaim the mandate which she said the people of the senatorial district gave her.
Natasha has already approached the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal seeking relief from the court to be declared as the winner of the election on the ground that she scored the highest number of lawful votes during the senatorial poll.
Amongst other things, the lawyer alleged that the election was rigged in favour of Kogi Central APC senatorial candidate, Abubakar Sadiku Ohere who was declared as the winner of the election with 369 votes margin.
Reacting to the outcome of the election and Natasha’s decision to seek justice in court, many residents of the senatorial district supported the move and believed the female senatorial candidate was robbed and denied victory at the poll.
Some residents of the senatorial district who spoke expressed confidence that Natasha Akpoti will reclaim her mandate in court and described the outcome of the poll as a daylight robbery.
Mr. Zubair, a resident Okene Local Government Area, claimed the APC and INEC colluded to deny Natasha of her “well-deserved victory at the poll.”
” It was quite unfortunate, how can you deny a candidate such a victory after winning four local government areas out of five?
“I am particularly pained because it’s not just about Natasha, it’s about our collective sensibility because we were all insulted, cheated, and denied the chance of having the first female senator from Kogi Central.
“She’s the first woman in our history to have put up such a fight not only against her opponent but against the incumbent Governor and all the members of his cabinet from Kogi Central.
“Despite all the forces against her, she won four local government areas out of five, that proves the love the people have for her, that shows she won the election and I am sure if there were no intimidation, attacks, ballot stuffing, and manipulation of figures in Okene, she would have won the Governor’s local government. But I am confident she will retrieve her mandate in court because that irregularity cannot stand the test of law”, he said.
A pundit from the senatorial district who pleaded for anonymity believed the election was marred by irregularities allegedly sponsored by the power that be.
“The last senatorial election in Kogi Central was characterized by abnormalities and irregularities orchestrated by the government in power who brought out all their machinery to muscle the opposition who was close to seeing the light in the tunnel.
“I dare say that even the man crowned as the winner, Abubakar Ohere will testify against himself in court if asked this same question without his master, who masterminded the rigging in his favor. It was the biggest misconduct and rape against humanity and the right of the masses I ever witnessed in my whole life.
“For me, I think justice is far away from humans in the contemporary era. What we have now is “monetized justice”,
I miss the likes of Gani Fawehemi and his likes who stood uprightly as the last hope of the common man.
“In a sane society where there are prudent courts of law and juries, Barr Natasha Akpoti wouldn’t have an iota of displeasure from the outcome but to go straight to the court and claim her mandate”, the pundit holds.
On his view, Engr. Siyaka said the last senatorial election in Kogi Central was between the masses and those in power.
“The last senatorial election in kogi central was an election between the masses and the people in power. The masses spoke in volumes by voting for the PDP candidate while those in power were not good with the people’s choice which led to irregularities in some local government areas.
“The election was rigged by the APC and particularly in Okene local government where the state government officials took it upon themselves to manipulate the results which led to the unnecessary delay of the announcement of the election result from the local government.
“The PDP candidate has a better chance of reclaiming the mandate in court. She should consider the use of ballot papers from Okene local government as evidence in court because almost all the result sheets were altered, the result announced in most wards in Okene LG is different from the people’s vote”, he said.
Against all odds, Natasha became the first female senatorial candidate from Kogi Central when she threw her hat in the ring to challenge the status quo. If she retrieves her mandate at the Tribunal, she will become the first female senator from Kogi State.
By Barr. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Media Organization.