Kogi election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja has struck out the petition of Senator Ahmed of the People Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the credibility of Natasha Akpoti of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to participate in the last Kogi Central senatorial election, even as it adopted the later’s petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Yakubu Oseni.
While ruling, reports say the tribunal chairman ruled that since Barr. Natasha Akpoti of SDP was not declared by the INEC, she cannot be a respondent to the suit by Senator Ogembe of the PDP.
The tribunal also adopted Natasha’s suit against INEC, APC and Yakubu Oseni.
On the motion moved by APC and Yakubu Oseni’s counsel, M. Y Abdullahi and P. D Daudu, challenging the motion by Natasha Akpoti’s counsel, Ekele Oboriole, who sought for consolidation of the case, the tribunal chairman ruled that “where two or more petitions are filed on the same matter, all petitions shall be consolidated and wouldn’t be treated differently.
“Therefore we hereby granted that petition number 2 and 8 be consolidated and be treated as one.”
The tribunal chairman, however, adjourned the hearing to 11th May, 2019 for continuation of pretrial.
