Politics
Kogi Central constituents resist moves to recall Senator Natasha
...as $2m is allegedly being offered for the purpose
The political intrigues in the Senate arising from the suspension of the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan may have stirred up political rivalry between the former governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, and the suspended senator, with the former allegedly wanting to benefit from it politically.
Reliable sources told Business Hallmark that the Natasha saga has brought a fresh wave of political intrigues to the confluence State as the former governor Bello is allegedly angling to replace Natasha if the ongoing recall plot succeeds.
Recall that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months for allegedly violating the Senate’s standing rules.
On March 6, the Senate unanimously voted to suspend Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months following the recommendations of its Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions Committee.
The decision was based on her alleged misconduct during a plenary session on 20 February and her refusal to adhere to the chamber’s sitting arrangement.
The Senate also imposed several penalties on her, including the withdrawal of all her security aides and the closure of her office in the National Assembly.
All Senate properties in her possession were to be handed over to the Clerk to the National Assembly. She was also prohibited from entering the National Assembly premises during the suspension period.
Her salary and allowances were also suspended, just as she was banned from presenting herself as a senator locally and internationally.
However, the Senate left a window for the suspension to be lifted if Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan submits a written apology, which the leadership may consider before the end of the six months.
But she has refused to back down. On 11 March, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker took her case to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Sources hinted that politicians loyal to Bello have been allegedly moving round manipulating residents with a sham empowerment programme to secure their signatures and voter details for the ongoing recall process against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Multiple videos seen by this medium have lent credence to the story of how unsuspecting residents were lured in with the promise of financial aid and support, only to be tricked into unknowingly endorsing the recall campaign against the embattled senator.
In one of the videos sighted, a resident is heard exposing the fake scheme, assertively saying, “We are not here for the recall process of Natasha. We are here for an empowerment. And we were given instructions to come with our voter cards. They told us to come here for empowerment with our voter cards.”
Another resident, who identified herself as Mrs. Ojo, said the process was nothing but a big fraud .
“I call the recall process a mess. Nobody was aware of it at all. These people deceived them with the promise of empowerment. It was only when we arrived that many of us realised this was not normal,” the resident said.
She noted that: “People started leaving. I see it as a fraud, and they are doing something the people do not support. I, myself, do not support it, and the majority of people in this local government are against it.”
They accused people loyal to Yahaya Bello of being behind the deception.
A middle aged man at the scene also confirmed the fraud. He stated that: “Early this morning, we were informed that we should come for empowerment. When we got to the field, we were asked to bring our voter cards. We asked why because we were told this was just an empowerment. Then they gave us a form to fill in with our VIN (Voter Identification Number) and signature. Most of us refused because we knew empowerment is not done this way.”
Sources earlier confided in Business Hallmark that the mischief is part of a grand plot allegedly hatched by Yahaya Bello and Senate President Godswill Akpabio to remove Senator Natasha from office politically.
It was learnt that Bello, with Akpabio’s support, had launched a recall process against Natasha just weeks after her controversial suspension from the Senate.
Reliable sources said that Akpabio and Bello allegedly came to a $2 million (N3 billion) deal to finance the recall effort. Insiders say part of their strategy involves manipulating INEC records by forging voters’ signatures and coercing the commission into validating fraudulent documents.
In spite of Bello and his loyalists’ desperate moves, residents of Kogi Central were said to have seen through the phony scheme and already resisting. Many have refused to sign the recall documents, exposing the fraud behind the process.
“We are saying we don’t want to recall Natasha because she has been delivering for us since she joined the Senate,” a constituent said.
Business Hallmark visited Kogi Central Senatorial District to gauge the people’s views on their senator’s suspension and current lack of representation in the Senate, which may extend for six months, the reactions of the people were divided, though majority of residents still stand solidly behind the embattled Senator.
It must be noted that Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan has represented the district since November 2023 when she replaced Abubakar Ohere of the APC, following a court judgment on her petition on the 2023 senatorial election.
For record, since 1999, Uduaghan has been the eighth senator for the district comprising five local government areas: Adavi, Ajaokuta,Okene, Ogori Magongo, and Okehi. The former senators are Ahmed Tijani (1999-2003), Mohammed Ohiare (2003-2007), Otaru Ohize (2007-2011), Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman (2011-2015), Ahmed Ogembe (2015-2019) Oseni Yakubu (2019-2023) and Mr Ohere, who was in the upper chamber between June and November 2023. From the history, no senator has had two terms, and Natasha would set net record of just over a year tenure, if the recall process succeeds. However, her legal team have gone to court to halt the process by compelling INEC not to accept such recall, it it is fraudulent.
Ibrahim Otaru, a foodstuffs seller condemned the suspension, labelling it politically motivated.
“Why should they suspend our senator? She is the only one fighting for us, bringing development to our place. This is injustice. This is politically motivated. They want to silence her because she is speaking the truth. We will not accept this,” she said.
Baba Abdulrazaq, secretary-general of Ebira Peoples Association, argued that suspending the senator for more than 14 days was illegal.
“It is sad that at this critical stage in our nation, men and women entrusted with an institution as important as the Senate have chosen to drag the Senate to disrepute; it is unfortunate.
“Senator Natasha is one of the biggest things that has happened to this senatorial district. She has represented us the way no one has done. She has just spent 16 months in the Senate, but her impact is felt at the length and breadth of this senatorial district.
“It is an insult that some persons who felt the whole of Nigeria was in their pocket and pronounced an entire district suspended. I think that should be unthinkable. Are they not aware that they do not have the right to suspend a senator for more than 14 days, and in this case, you’re suspending an entire district? We will go anywhere to defend our rights as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Mr Abdulrazaq said.
In the same vein, Joseph Suleiman, a zonal pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, described the suspension as “unjust and unfair” to the people of the district.
“It is very unfair and unjust. It is not just about Natasha but about the people she represents. So, you’re saying Kogi Central will not have representation in the next six months? That is unjust to the people,” he said.
Mr. Suleiman, popularly known as Pastor Manjoe, urged the federal government to intervene so that existing court rulings would prevail.
“The federal government should prevail on the Senate to adhere to the rule of law because I know there are existing court cases where the rules state that you cannot suspend a lawmaker for more than 14 days if there’s any reason for the suspension.
“Why should our own be suspended for six good months? It is unfair to the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District. And you don’t suspend a performing senator, it is unfair,” the cleric said.
Ohiare Fache, a primary school teacher in Ihima, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s hometown, described the senator’s ordeal as ‘very sad.’
“I feel very sad. The women in this community know what we passed through before Natasha was elected. We are not pleased with the treatment they’re giving her at the National Assembly. Women shouldn’t be treated that way. The women here are not pleased with the suspension.
“If anything happens, they’re supposed to call the both of them and ask what happened so that it would be a fair resolution, not just suspending our senator like that; it is not good. When two elephants fight, it is the grass that will suffer. We in the grassroots will suffer the suspension, so they should please recall our senator,” she said.
Christiana Ovia, a member of the Christian Women in Politics, said her group was praying over the matter.
“We are not pleased with it. We, members of Christian Women in Politics, held a meeting and told God to fight for Senator Natasha. We knew her very well before we chose her to represent us, and we thank God that she didn’t disappoint us. She worked very hard, and she met our demands. We want to use this opportunity to warn Akpabio to leave our seat alone,” she said.
Muhammad Saka, president-general of the Ebira Youth Congress, said youth in the senatorial district could not afford to move on without representation for six months.
“We cannot afford to lose our voice in the Senate for six months. She has done well in development, giving scholarships to our students. We’re taking stock of events from the National Assembly, and we’ll respond at the appropriate time,” he said.
Also, Godwin Owibo, president-general of the Ebira Peoples Association, said that the suspension would affect some ongoing development projects in the senatorial district.
“She is our senator; we supported her, and we voted for her, but the idea of suspending her from the Senate is something we will not tolerate. It is not only the individual senator they’re suspending; they’re the entire constituents, and there are so many activities going on.”
A senior citizen in Okene, Sulaiman Salami, demanded fairness.
“The issue has brought a huge surprise to us, and we have said that irrespective of the situation, we need a fair hearing. Senator Natasha submitted a petition that was not suspended, yet they went ahead and suspended her for six months, which means that the whole area here will not have any representation. It is unacceptable to us,” he said.
“Some people accused her of being stubborn. I am an Ebira man. Show me an Ebira man who is not stubborn. We are reasonably stubborn because when we believe we’re on our right, we stand on our feet and insist,” he said. He called on the Senate to reinstate her immediately.
“If the National Assembly wants to retain credibility, the best is to recall her and let the committee deliberate on her allegations. Nobody is crucifying Akpabio, but there are heavy allegations that should be addressed.
However, some residents support the call for the recall.
Abubakar Ohiare, a resident of Ihima, said he joined the recall process willingly, saying they had lost confidence in Mrs 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,” he said.
Another resident Onukaba Johnson said, “this woman is too arrogant. Is she the only woman in the Senate? She is too stubborn. Why is she bringing shame to Ibira land? I support her recall and I have signed.
However, no Nigerian senator has ever been successfully recalled and this medium’s findings on the ground reveal that Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan garners enough support from her constituency to stave off the recall process.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians and women groups, including Womanifesto, a coalition advocating for gender equity and democracy in Nigeria, have condemned the alleged harassment and intimidation of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
