Kogi Guber: Natasha thrown out after issuing quit notice to Gov Bello

Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, the multi-talented lawyer, politician and gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Natasha Hadiza Akpoti, served a quit notice to incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but little did she know that her candidature would be thrown out for constitutional […]

Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, the multi-talented lawyer, politician and gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Natasha Hadiza Akpoti, served a quit notice to incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but little did she know that her candidature would be thrown out for constitutional breach concerning her running mate.

Last September, Akpoti told Governor Yahaya Bello, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, and the incumbent governor, to begin to prepare his hand over notes.

Natasha, who said this while announcing Engr. Khalid Adams Ogbeche, an Information Security Analyst, as her running mate, said the call became necessary in view of the overall support she enjoys from the people of Kogi State who have since rejected Bello.

The SDP candidate in a statement by the spokesman of the Natasha Akpoti Campaign Organization, Odaudu Joel Minister, said: “We are set and by the grace of God and the support of Kogites, SDP shall win the November 16 election and form a desired people-centered government which will engender the transformational leadership that will break Kogi people loose from the shackles of poverty and oppression foisted on them by the outgoing Bello’s administration.

She declared that Bello’s days in Lugard’s House will terminate on November 16 in view of his alleged poor performance in the last four years.

“Today, the unscientific and archaic policies of Bello have taken Kogi one thousand years backwards. Kogi urgently requires a deliverer and the people will vote for me because they know I have all it takes to make Kogi count in Nigeria,” she said.

The SDP candidate said her choice of Khalid as running mate was hinged on his competence, capacity, and merit as a good leader and astute administrator which he has amply demonstrated in his various fields of endeavour.

“Engr. Khalid is an embodiment of integrity and loyalty. He is an intelligent personality full of logical ideas and wisdom, and greatly endowed with excellent communication and interpersonal skills required to lead a people,” she said.

She added that Engr. Khalid, who hails from Ankpa LGA and holds HND in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from Benue State Polytechnic Ugbokolo, emerged through a wide and thorough consultation with relevant SDP stakeholders across the state.

However two days later, Natasha with dozens of protesters stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, protesting the alleged move to disqualify her from contesting the election.

The protesters, carried placards with various inscriptions, including “Natasha must contest, we no go gree”, “Natasha is Kogi’s hope”, “Say No to intimidation, Natasha is our choice” and “It is Natasha or nobody” among others.

SDP officials said that the person whose name SDP initially submitted as it governorship running mate for the governorship election, Mr. Muhammad Bashiru Yakubu, is less than 35 years old as prescribed by the electoral law, following which the party thus sought to replace him with Engr. Khalid Adam.

The letter written by SDP to INEC to that effect, which was the deadline set for replacement of names of candidates, was reportedly turned down by INEC.

The development means that SDP will not field a candidate for the election, thus the reason for the protest.

Speaking with journalists during the protest, Natasha said, “I am a Nigerian. We will not sit back and allow INEC to disenfranchise us and derail our democracy.”

She expressed dismay as to why INEC was making it difficult for SDP to make a replacement within the stipulated period set by the same INEC.

The SDP candidate and two others were later allowed into the INEC office to meet some officials of the commission.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, responding to enquiries on the matter, said, “The Commission has not yet taken a decision on the disqualification or otherwise of Political Parties or their candidates.”

In February, before the National Assembly election, of which she was a senatorial candidate, for Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha raised the alarm that the state Governor Yahaya Bello wanted to assassinate her.

She stated this in a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari entitled ‘Governor Yahaya Bello Wants to Kill Me’.

According to her, the reason the governor wanted to assassinate her is that she “dared to step out to give expression to my ambition to represent my senatorial zone in this election.”

She urged the president to call the governor to order, as many of her supporters had been killed.

INEC speaks on disqualification controversy

Penultimate Thursday, INEC denied the reported summary disqualification of some parties and candidates.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust Saturday, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mr. Festus Okoye, while reacting to a question on the reported disqualification of the SDP governorship candidate in Kogi State, told Daily Trust Saturday that INEC deals with political parties and not their candidates and individuals.

He said the commission has a responsibility to enforce the provisions of the Constitution, as the period for the submission of the personal particulars of candidates elapsed on September 9, 2019, and that day is unmovable and also not subject to variations and waivers.

“The commission did not disqualify the candidate of the SPD in Kogi State. Her nomination was invalid by the invalidity of the nomination of the deputy governorship candidate of the SDP. The SDP will not be on the ballot in Bayelsa and Kogi states for the November 16, 2019 Governorship election in both states,” Okoye said.

He said the commission, in a letter dated September 13, 2019, notified the concerned political parties of the invalidity of their nominations. Six of the nominated Governorship and/or Deputy Governorship candidates were affected in Bayelsa State, while eight such nominees were affected in Kogi State.

“Some of the affected parties have written the commission admitting their error and requesting to submit new nominees to replace the under-aged ones. However, this was after the deadline for submission of nominations on September 9, 2019. As such the Commission could not accept any fresh nominations.

“In like manner, since the parties did not submit valid nominations before the deadline, they cannot substitute the candidates on the grounds of death or voluntary withdrawal, in accordance with the Electoral Act2010 (as amended), which assumes the prior existence of valid nominations,” he said.

Other parties affected by the scenario

While INEC cleared 24 parties and their candidates, including the APC and PDP, the commission also disqualified nine parties for fielding under-aged candidates.

The rejected nominations were Action Peoples Party (APP) and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) for nominating underage candidates of 34 and 31 years old respectively.

Also rejected were Alliance National Party (ANP) which nominated underage deputy governorship candidates of 32 years; Alliance Peoples Movement (APM), 30 years; Alliance of Social Democrats (ASD), 33 years; and APP, 34 years.

Others were Movement for the Restoration of Nigeria (MRDD), 33 years; Social Democratic Party (SDP), 34 years; and United Progressives Party(UPP), 33 years.

SDP sues INEC for disqualifying Natasha

The SDP on Wednesday said it has dragged INEC to court over the disqualification of its governorship candidate in Kogi State, Natasha Hadiza Akpoti, for presenting an underage as her running mate.

National chairman of the party, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, while briefing journalists in Abuja, enjoined Kogi electorate and supporters of the embattled Natasha to keep faith as the party would get justice.

He described her disqualification as not only a sad development but a great disservice to democracy and an infringement on the rights of Nigerian citizens of Kogi extraction.

Who is Natasha Akpoti?

Forty-year-old Natasha Hadiza Akpoti is a lawyer, MBA professional and a social entrepreneur. She is the Founder of Builders Hub Impact Investment Program – a social enterprise focused on creating jobs through the sustainable revival of Nigeria’s local and neglected industries.

Born to the family of late Dr. Jimoh Akpoti and Mrs. Ludmila Kravchenko Akpoti of Obeiba- Ihima, in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, she is the second of four children and only daughter.

Natasha spent her formative years as a child growing up and being primarily educated in her native communities – Okehi and neighbouring Okene, Adavi and Ajaokuta towns.

Her most fascinating childhood moments were lessons of philanthropy and empathy for humanity that her father taught by practically treating the poor for free, paying tuition for thousands of school children, supporting hundreds of local farmers and traders with their businesses and much more.

She attended Christ the King Nursery and Primary School Okene where she was the Social Prefect and acknowledged in her testimonial to be very quiet, hardworking and responsible. Thereafter, she proceeded to Government Girls Unity Secondary School Oboroke, Kogi State and Federal Government College Idoani, Ondo State for her junior and senior secondary education respectively.

Yet again, her exceptional academic and personal performances earned her the leadership position of the head girl at FGC Idoani, where she graduated in 1997.

Natasha, who holds an LLB from the University of Abuja, and was called to the bar in 2005, also obtained a Masters in Business Administration and LLM Petroleum Law and Policies from the foremost University of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Her foray into politics was largely seen as her determination to make a difference, albeit positively, in her state.