Kogi Guber Poll: Court To Decide Akpoti’s exclusion November 7

The fate of the gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party SDP, Mrs Natasha Akpoti will be decided on November 7 by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The case will be presided over by Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa.

It could be recalled that SDP had filed a suit before the honorable court challenging INEC’s decision to exclude the party from presenting a governorship candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi state.

The judge disclosed this development on Thursday.

INEC in its defence noted that the party was excluded because the party failed to meet the electoral rules and regulations.

Arguing the plaintiffs’ case on Thursday, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Mr Ola Olanipekun (SAN), argued that only the court and not INEC had the power to disqualify a candidate from participating in an election.

He added that INEC’s refusal to allow the party to substitute its deputy governorship’s candidate was unlawful as the attempted substitution was done 45 days before the governorship election.

He also said the substitution followed a voluntary withdrawal of the originally nominated candidate with his letter of withdrawal sent to INEC as evidence.

In his reply, INEC’s lawyer, Tanimu Inuwa (SAN), argued in opposition to the suit that the plaintiffs, in a letter dated September 19, 2019, which was addressed to the INEC chairman, admitted that the original running mate was not qualified to contest the election on account of his age.