INEC Disqualifies Kogi SDP Guber Hopeful, Natasha Akpoti

INEC Disqualifies Kogi SDP Guber Hopeful, Natasha Akpoti

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Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, the multi-talented lawyer, politician and gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Natasha Hadiza Akpoti, served a quit notice to incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but little did she know that her candidature would be thrown out for constitutional breach concerning her running mate. 

Last September, Akpoti told Governor Yahaya Bello, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, and the incumbent governor, to begin to prepare his hand over notes.  

Natasha, who said this while announcing Engr. Khalid Adams Ogbeche, an Information Security Analyst, as her running mate, said the call became necessary in view of the overall support she enjoys from the people of Kogi State who have since rejected Bello.  

She declared that Bello’s days in Lugard’s House will terminate on November 16 in view of his alleged poor performance in the last four years. “Today, the unscientific and archaic policies of Bello have taken Kogi one thousand years backwards. Kogi urgently requires a deliverer and the people will vote for me because they know I have all it takes to make Kogi count in Nigeria,” she said. 

The SDP candidate said her choice of Khalid as running mate was hinged on his competence, capacity, and merit as a good leader and astute administrator which he has amply demonstrated in his various fields of endeavour. 

However two days later, Natasha with dozens of protesters stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, protesting the alleged move to disqualify her from contesting the election. The protesters, carried placards with various inscriptions, including “Natasha must contest, we no go gree”, “Natasha is Kogi’s hope”, “Say No to intimidation, Natasha is our choice” and “It is Natasha or nobody” among others. 

SDP officials said that the person whose name SDP initially submitted as it governorship running mate for the governorship election, Mr. Muhammad Bashiru Yakubu, is less than 35 years old as prescribed by the electoral law, following which the party thus sought to replace him with Engr. Khalid Adam. 

The letter written by SDP to INEC to that effect, which was the deadline set for replacement of names of candidates, was reportedly turned down by INEC. 

The development means that SDP will not field a candidate for the election, thus the reason for the protest. 

Speaking with journalists during the protest, Natasha said, “I am a Nigerian. We will not sit back and allow INEC to disenfranchise us and derail our democracy.” She expressed dismay as to why INEC was making it difficult for SDP to make a replacement within the stipulated period set by the same INEC. 

The SDP candidate and two others were later allowed into the INEC office to meet some officials of the commission. The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, responding to enquiries on the matter, said, “The Commission has not yet taken a decision on the disqualification or otherwise of Political Parties or their candidates.” 

However, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mr. Festus Okoye, while reacting to a question on the reported disqualification of the SDP governorship candidate in Kogi State, said that INEC deals with political parties and not their candidates and individuals. He said the commission has a responsibility to enforce the provisions of the Constitution, as the period for the submission of the personal particulars of candidates elapsed on September 9, 2019, and that day is unmovable and also not subject to variations and waivers. 

“The commission did not disqualify the candidate of the SDP in Kogi State. Her nomination was invalid by the invalidity of the nomination of the deputy governorship candidate of the SDP. The SDP will not be on the ballot in Bayelsa and Kogi states for the November 16, 2019 Governorship election in both states,” Okoye said. 

-dailytrust

Akpoti