Kogi Central Constituents Submit Petition to Recall Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

The members of the Kogi Central constituency have formally submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the district in the National Assembly.

The petition, submitted on Monday, marks the first step in what could be a lengthy constitutional process. According to electoral law, the recall of a federal lawmaker requires a petition signed by over 50 percent of registered voters in the constituency. This is followed by verification and a referendum, all of which must be completed within 90 days from the date INEC receives the petition.

Charity Omole, a spokesperson for the group spearheading the recall effort, stated that the constituents are pushing for Akpoti-Uduaghan’s removal to ensure that the district has active representation in the Senate.

“We have come to recall her so that we can have a representative in the Senate. We are here to tell INEC to please follow the constitutional process for a recall so that it can begin,” Omole said. “We submitted the petition, and it has been received, along with all other necessary documents.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate on March 6 over what was described as “gross misconduct” following a seating arrangement dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The controversy intensified after she accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her, a claim that has stirred national debate.

Addressing concerns that the recall effort is politically motivated, Omole insisted that the initiative is purely driven by the will of the constituents.

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“We are the ones that voted for her, and we don’t want her anymore because we cannot afford not to have a representative. Nobody is bankrolling us. Nobody has any personal issues with her. It is just what it is. The game is the game,” she said.

According to Omole, out of Kogi Central’s 488,000 registered voters, more than 250,000 have already signed the recall petition, surpassing the required threshold to initiate the process.

INEC, as an independent electoral body, is expected to review the petition and follow due process following the law. “INEC is an institutional body. They will have to follow due process. So they will get back to us and do their job,” Omole added.