The petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as a Federal Republic of Nigeria senator has been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
On Monday, the petition was sent to Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the commission’s secretary.
According to the people, the signed petition complied with the 1990 Constitution’s modified provisions.
It was discovered that nearly 200,000 people, or more than half of the district’s registered voters, signed the petition.
The recall petition came after a string of controversial incidents involving the senator.
After a disagreement with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate on March 6 for suspected “gross misconduct.”
Akpabio was accused of sexual harassment by her earlier.
Following receipt of the petition, Oriaran-Anthony stressed that the Commission will follow the Constitution’s due process requirements for the recall process because it is a legally formed entity.
Their petition will be processed, she said.
Comrade Salihu Habeeb, a spokesperson of the Kogi Central constituency, said the community has come together to demand a more accountable representative and expressed confidence in the recall effort’s success.
He chastised Akpoti-Uduaghan for not communicating with her constituents and for not even responding to their concerns with a message.
The representative stated, “From the process, the Kogi Central Indigenous people have carried out so far, this would be the first recall that will be successful. We have spoken with one voice. We need a credible representative.”
Comrade Hamza Yakubu, another representative, emphasised that the recall process was motivated by reason and the needs of the people rather than feelings and requested INEC to respond to the petition as soon as possible.
Yakubu noted, “We believe that the recall process will be successful. The commission should review the submitted petition and immediately move into action.”
Similar views were expressed by Charity Jesse, a spokesperson of the Kogi Youths and Women, who said that the petition was in response to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s alleged misbehaviour and her inability to adequately represent Kogi Central’s interests.
A restraining order that had stopped INEC from accepting the petition was removed on March 22 by a Federal High Court in Lokoja.
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The court upheld the civic rights of the residents to start the recall process by ruling that it was lawful. It inspired the petitioners to keep peacefully expressing their rights.
An interim injunction prohibiting INEC from handling the petition or holding a referendum on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall had already been ordered by the court. But the most recent decision now makes it possible for the commission to move on with the procedure.
