Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been sworn-in as Nigerian Senator representing Kogi Central.
President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio performed the ceremony on Thursday, making Akpoti-Uduaghan the fourth female senator of the tenth National Assembly.
She replaces Abubakar Sidiku Ohere, who was sacked by the Court of Appeal.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Ohere as winner of the February 25, 2023, parliamentary election.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Natasha approached the tribunal with a petition seeking to nullify the victory of Ohere and her declaration as the winner of the election.
In September, the election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja nullified Ohere’s election and declared Akpoti-Uduaghan as winner.
The three-man panel held that Ohere’s results were inflated in nine polling units in Ajaokuta local government
The court declared Natasha the winner of the election with 54,074 votes, surpassing Ohere’s tally of 51,291 votes.
Ohere had headed to the appellate court to seek redress, but in the ruling on Tuesday, the court dismissed the appeal for lack of merit.
Editor: Oloyede Oworu