The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court which reversed the commission’s disqualification of Barr. Natasha Akpoti of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last gubernatorial election in Kogi State.
In an appeal petition filed by the commission at the Appellate Court, INEC stated that the Federal High Court erred in law and thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice, adding that without proper evaluation of the evidence of the Appellant the court proceeded to grant the reliefs sought by respondents.
In the petition, INEC stated that the Federal High Court failed to put into consideration the fact that SDP had no validly nominated deputy governorship candidate at the close of the period for nomination on September 9.
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The petition further stated that the invalidity of the deputy governorship candidate (Muhammed Bashir Yakubu) invalidate SDP’s nomination of Natasha Akpoti as its governorship candidate.
“The Third Respondent did not validly substitute Muhammed Bashir Yakubu. The third Respondent cannot place something on anything.
“The court did not appreciate the fact that the purported withdrawal of Muhammed Bashir Yakubu as Deputy Governorship candidate was after his nomination was found invalid,” the petition stated.
Amongst other things, INEC sought an order of the Appeal court to dismiss the judgment of the Federal High Court on November 7 which granted Natasha Akpoti the right to contest in the last Kogi State governorship election for lack of merit.
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