The Social Democratic Party (SDP) Thursday elected Barrister Natasha Akpoti as its candidate for the Kogi state governorship election scheduled for November 16.
The election, which took place in Lokoja, with 856 delegates from across the 21 local government councils of the state, was witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The exercise in which the party opted to use the indirect mode saw Barrister Natasha Akpoti polling 90 per cent of the total votes casted by the delegates.
The Returning Officer, Mr Ben Ogbonna from the party national secretariat, at the end of the voting exercise declared Natasha Akpoti the duly elected governorship candidate of the party for the November 16 kogi governorship poll.
In her acceptance speech, the standard bearer pledged to turn around the fortunes of the state, if given the mandate by the electorate.
She thanked the delegates for finding her worthy to offer the ticket to contest for the esteem job of governing the state and promised to ensure quality leadership if eventually elected.
She promised to improve on education, the health sectors and also create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths and women in the state.
“This is a new era in Kogi state. When I contested for Senate for Kogi Central I was able to fight them without any money bag and godfather. I am going to defeat them again during the governorship election”, she said
Akpoti added that if elected she will tackle poverty and hunger in the state, assuring the people that her era will be fruitful for the state.
Earlier, the party state chairman, Alhaji Muktar Atimah, said the SDP is set to take over Lugard House come November, saying that the party had worked very well across all the 21 local government councils and garner the desired support of the people in the governorship election.
He boasted that the SDP candidate has the capacity to take over the reins of power from the present visionless government and move it from the prevailing precarious and poverty-laden state to one of prosperity for the people.
