UPDATED: Kogi constituents submit petition to INEC for Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall from Senate

On Monday, some registered voters from the Kogi Central Senatorial District submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the recall of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, its senator.

The voters, under the aegis of Concerned Kogi Youth and Women, submitted the petition at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The petition, titled “Constituents Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on the grounds of Loss of Confidence,” was addressed to the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.

It said, “We, the undersigned being duly registered voters of the Kogi Central Senatorial District, hereby invoke our rights under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to formally demand the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Nigerian Senate.

“In particular, this petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is brought pursuant to Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended), as well as INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall Petitions.

“Kindly recall that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan emerged as our Senator by verdict of the Court of Appeal, Abuja on Tuesday October 31, 2023 which affirmed the Peoples Democratic Party PDP candidate as winner of the February 25, 2023 Kogi Central Senatorial election.

READ ALSO: Court vacates order halting INEC from receiving recall petition against Akpoti-Uduaghan

“This petition arises from our loss of confidence in the Senator on the grounds of gross misconduct, abuse of office, evasion of due process and a pattern of deceitful behaviour that has not only embarrassed the people of Kogi Central constituency but has also tarnished the integrity of the Nigerian Senate and our nation’s democratic institutions.

“By this petition, which we have made sure is signed by more than one-half of the registered voters in Kogi Central, we hereby demand that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC immediately commences the constitutional and procedural process of recall to remove Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from office and declare her seat vacant.”

Loss of confidence

The leader of the group, Charity Omole, told journalists after submitting the petition that they had lost confidence in Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“We have lost confidence in her because of her gross misconduct that led to her suspension in the Senate and we the Kogi Central not to be represented.

“We have come to recall her because we cannot afford not to be represented. This petition is from Concerned Kogi Youth and Women.

“We, the people of Kogi Central, voted her in, and we are here to recall her. We have 488,000 registered voters and as I speak to you now, we have more than 250,000 voters who have signed for her recall,” Ms Omole said.

Section 69 of the Constitution states that: A member of the Senate or the House Representatives may be recalled as such a member if –

(a) there is presented to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission a petition on that behalf signed by more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency alleging their loss of confidence in that member; and

(b) the petition is thereafter, in a referendum conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission within ninety days of the date of receipt of the petition, approved by a simple majority of the votes of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency.

Verifying claim

PREMIUM TIMES could not confirm if the petitioners’ claim to have mustered the 250,000 voters for the recall of Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan were true.

INEC will, however, have to verify the signatures of the petitioners as required by the constitution before the recall process can move to the next stage.

One of the cornerstones of democracy is the right of the constituents to recall elected lawmakers as a way of holding them accountable.

There has not been a single case since 1999 when democracy was restored in the country and a legislator was successfully recalled under the Constitution.

In 2018, the attempt to recall former senator for Kogi West, Dino Melaye, failed following a low turnout to verify petitioners’ signatures.

At the end of the exercise, only 18,742 out of 189,870 signatories to the recall petition at the time could be verified by the commission; hence, the process could not continue.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan could not be reached for comment on the move to recall as she did not respond to a call to her mobile telephone.

Suspension from Senate

The Senate, on 6 March, suspended Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for six months following the recommendations of its ethics, privileges and public petitions committee.

The decision of the upper chamber followed her alleged misconduct during a plenary session on 20 February and her refusal to adhere to its sitting arrangement.

It imposed several penalties on Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, including withdrawing all her security aides and closing her office in the National Assembly.

She was also asked to hand over to the Clerk to the National Assembly, while she was also prohibited from entering the premises of the federal legislature during the period of suspension.

The Senate also suspended her salary and allowances and also banned her from presenting herself as a senator locally and internationally.

The upper chamber, however, said it may consider recalling her if she submits a written apology.

However, on 11 March, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan externalised her case by taking her case to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

She told the IPU at the meeting that her suspension was unlawful and an attempt to silence her for making allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

Support for Akpoti-Uduaghan

Earlier in the month, PREMIUM TIMES reported that some Kogi Central constituents condemned Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the upper chamber.

The constituents expressed displeasure with the possibility of not being represented in the Senate for six months.