The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, faces a daunting challenge again. This time, it’s from her constituency. The constituents want her out of the Senate so that she could be replaced.
Constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District may have begun recalling Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as signature collection reportedly started in some areas of the district.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports on Wednesday in Lokoja that constituents gathered at various signature collection points across the five Local Government Areas comprising the senatorial district.
Some of the locations visited include Ajaokuta, Adavi, Okene, Lokoja, and Okehi Local Government Areas, where residents were seen participating in the signature drive.
One collection point was Ihima community in Okehi LGA, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s hometown, where people were observed queuing for the recall exercise.
Abdullahi Usman, a resident of Ihima, told NAN that he joined the process willingly, saying they had lost confidence in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s representation.
“You can see the queue of people dissatisfied with her National Assembly performance, especially following the recent scandal in the Senate chamber.
“We are sending a message to the world that we no longer trust her representation. Her actions have brought shame to us internationally,” Usman stated.
At the Ajaokuta collection point, Hajia Rabi Mohammed said, “We want her to return home, so we can elect someone with a good reputation.”
Mr Samuel Adamu, from Lokoja Metropolis, stated the recall process began on Wednesday and would last two days across all polling units in the five LGAs.
“We believe that by Friday, March 21, we’ll conclude collecting the signatures needed to file the petition for her recall,” Adamu explained.
He added, “This recall process is taken seriously. We tried to engage her repeatedly without success,” highlighting the community’s frustrations.
In response, Abdulrahman Badamasiuyi, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, described the recall effort as a sham and baseless.
Badamasiuyi urged constituents to ignore the planned verification exercise aimed at recalling Akpoti-Uduaghan from the National Assembly.
“We want the Senate, Nigerians, and the world to know we stand firmly with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against her illegal suspension.
“She remains the one in whom we entrusted our mandate, and no one has the right to violate our democratic and constitutional choices.
“We hereby notify the Senate, Nigerians, and the world that Akpoti-Uduaghan retains our unwavering mandate to serve until May 2027,” he said.