Senate Swears In Natasha Akpoti As First Female Senator From Kogi

The senator-elect for the Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was sworn in by the Senate on Thursday.

This comes after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) presented her with a Certificate of Return as the duly elected senator.

Naija News reports that Akpoti-Uduaghan became the first female senator from Kogi State after winning the election on the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) platform.

The Kogi Central Senatorial Election was held earlier in February, and Akpoti-Uduaghan was declared the legitimate winner by the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, earlier on Tuesday.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Abubakar Ohere filed an appeal, but the court struck it out for lacking merit.

Ohere’s victory as the Kogi Central Senatorial Election winner was declared void in September by the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal, which was seated in Lokoja.

Additionally, the court ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan was the legitimate winner of the Senate election in February.

Ohere, who was not satisfied with the tribunal’s ruling, approached the appeal court to reclaim his mandate, and the court, however, affirmed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s victory in the poll.

Kogi state had never produced a female senator prior to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s emergence, and it is believed that her triumph will encourage state women to seek political office actively.