Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi, Natasha Akpoti, has filed a suit against Governor Yahaya Bello, challenging his fitness to contest for the November 16 governorship election.
The case will be heard on Friday, a day to Election Day, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Akpoti listed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st and 2nd defendants respectively.
The suit dated October 10 and marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1221/2019, filed by Mike Ozekhome, on Akpoti’s behalf, seeks the court’s determination on the eligibility of Mr Bello in the Saturday election, having allegedly involved in double registration as a voter.
Akpoti said: “That by his wilful act of making double registration as a voter, Yahaya Bello, candidate of the 1st defendant is not a fit and proper person to be allowed by the 2nd defendant to vote or be voted for in the forthcoming Kogi state governorship election, having committed act of electoral fraud.
“That Mr. Yahaya Bello, the candidate of the 1st defendant, was initially registered as a voter sometime in 2011 in Abuja, by the 2nd defendant.
“That Bello, the candidate of the 1st defendant, again fraudulently procured from the 2nd defendant a second registration as a voter on 23rd May 2017 at Government House, Lokoja, while his 2011 first registration as a voter in Abuja was still live, extant and subsisting.
“That the said Yahaya Bello, the candidate of the 1st defendant, carried out the double registration with the 2nd defendant so as to scuttle due electoral process.
“That such a person is not a fit and proper person to vote for in any election, let alone for the high office of the governor of a state.”
Akpoti had on Tuesday raised alarm after she was attacked by thugs suspected to be loyal to Bello at the political stakeholders meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lokoja.
