Senatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi Central Barrister Natasha Hadiza Akpoti on Thursday alleged Saturday’s National Assembly election in the district was compromised.
She claimed she has evidence to this effect, saying she was compiling more to contest the results in a court of law.
Barrister Akpoti, who came second to candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) alleged that ballot papers used in the election were already in the public domain days before the exercise.
She also accused Governor Yahaya Bello of using security agents to intimidate her supporters, adding she was optimistic of recovering her mandate at the tribunal.
Akpoti said: “What started as a peaceful election ended up being one of the most horrible daylight rapes of our democracy.
“Ballot boxes were snatched and destroyed some by fire. Card readers were stolen and many tampered with to accept without verification and in many places card readers were not used at all.
“Pre-thumb printed ballot papers were stuffed into the ballot box. Breach of the INEC security measure was evident with the use of 2015 stamps.
“Multiple voting by illegally acquired PVCs was used in their thousands by APC Kogi State.”
Natasha said her agents were harassed and chased out of many polling units in Okene, Ogori-Magongo, Ajaokuta and Adavi LGAs.
According to her: “The aforementioned and more are provable by hard concrete evidence. We believe the judiciary is the last hope of the common man and trust that the rule of law shall be applied in defending the people’s mandate at the Tribunal.
“The violence leading to intimidation and harassment of me and my supporters before, during and post elections.
“On the eve of the elections, I was denied entrance into the state by 100+ Gov. Yahaya Bello’s Government house police led by his ADC. I had to take a detour from Abaji via Nassarawa, Keffi and Benue.
“On arriving Okene at 9am, I met the same men who disarmed my security, send away my security personnel and blocked my vehicle from movements using tires and bricks.
It took the efforts of the Force Headquarters instructing the Okene Area Commander to free me and my personnel.”
Credit: The Nation
