Basically, I am not surprised and I am not disappointed, but I am saddened and extremely worried.
Governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the November 16, 2019 Kogi election, Barr. Natasha Akpoti has said she is not surprised at the outcome of the appeals at Supreme court.
Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Akpoti said the apex court has legalized electoral violence by ignoring evidences of malpractices and skirmishes that marred the Kogi election.
“I am not surprised in the sense that I have already observed the trend of electoral judgements in the past few months and have seen that they were not based on merit. They tend to tilt towards the favours of the ruling party which is APC. And why am I saddened and worried? I am worried because the Supreme court, being the apex, the topmost in the hierarchy of courts in Nigeria, have actually set back our democracy.
“What the Supreme court have done in my judgment considering the fact that SDP was not in result sheets and a lot of malpractices that took place, what this judgement has done is that it has actually legalized the non-adherence to the Electoral Act and the Constitution with regards to elections. And it has legalized violence.
“We were expecting that institutions like the judiciary and the police should have put their very best, having taken into cognisance our experiences over the years. That they should have at least made this a litmus test so say that yes in this century we in Nigeria are ready to set a standard for democracy for other countries to follow. But right now I think we’re just a laughing stock,” she said.
