Intrigues as anti-Natasha forces allegedly manufacture fresh ‘100,000 signatures.’ Even as INEC insists that the effort to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has failed, TheNiche investigations revealed over the weekend that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and his diehard supporters, may have embarked on a new project to produce fresh 100,000 signatures, which will be presented to INEC this week. Emma Ogbuehi reports.
Contrary to the popular belief that those seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District may have given up on the project after the failure of the initial petition, it may not yet be uhuru for the embattled lawmaker.
TheNiche has covered a fresh plot to relaunch the recall process this week.
This fresh plot is said to be spearheaded by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, his allies in the Senate and some political stalwarts from Kogi State who feel politically challenged by the failure of the initial plot.
The crisis started when the Senate suspended Natasha for six months over alleged misconduct and refusal to comply with the chamber’s sitting arrangement during the plenary on February 20.
The controversy began when Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan refused to occupy her new seat because it was done without her consent, an action which she believes violated her privileges. The lawmaker subsequently accused Akpabio of sexual harassment and abuse of office.
The matter was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen.
The committee found her guilty and recommended a six-month suspension with effect from March 6, with additional penalties, including withdrawal of all her security aides.
The committee also recommended the closure of her office within the National Assembly and handover of all Senate properties in her possession to the Clerk to the National Assembly; prohibition from entering the National Assembly premises during the period of suspension and that her salaries and allowances should be suspended. She was also barred from representing herself as a senator both locally and internationally during the period of her suspension.
The Senate, however, said if Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted a written apology, the leadership may consider lifting the suspension before the six-month period expires.
But rather than succumbing to the perceived intimidation, the defiant senator escalated the crisis beyond the shores of Nigeria.
That was when some of her constituents allegedly initiated a recall process and submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for her recall.
The petition, presented by Charity Ijese, on behalf of the purported constituents, was received at the INEC headquarters by the Commission’s Secretary, Rose Anthony, on Monday, March 24, 2025.
The petition titled, ‘Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence’ said, “In particular, this petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is brought pursuant to Section 69 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), as well as INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall Petitions.”
They affirmed that Akpoti-Uduaghan emerged senator by virtue of an Appeal Court decision in October 2023 but said the petition arose as a result of their loss of confidence in her representation.
“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 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 half of the registered voters in Kogi Central, we hereby demand that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) immediately commence the constitutional and procedural process of recall to remove Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from office and declare her seat vacant,” the purported constituents said.
Curiously, INEC which initially faulted the petition later said the procedural errors had been rectified and the Commission was going ahead with verification.
But the embattled senator accused INEC of bias in handling the petition. She alleged that the electoral umpire aided the petitioners in refining the recall petition against her.
Speaking to her jubilant constituents in Okehi Local Government Area (LGA) last week, she alleged that INEC was actively guiding petitioners affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) on how to legitimise their effort, claiming that the initial recall petition lacked essential details, such as addresses and phone numbers.
“What I see INEC doing is aiding and guiding petitioners on how to perfect their illicit acts,” she stated.
She further alleged that the recall was orchestrated by a fictitious organisation, Kogi Central Political Frontier, whose listed address — No. 4, Oboroke — does not exist. According to her, a search at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) confirmed that the group was not legally registered.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s rally took place despite a ban on public gatherings imposed by the Kogi State government. Arriving in a chopper, the senator defied the restrictions, which also included a curfew declared by Amoka Monday, chairman of Okehi LGA.
But barely 24 hours after her successful homecoming which proved beyond any scintilla of doubt that she enjoyed the support of her constituents, INEC recanted, claiming that the recall process failed to meet the constitutional requirements outlined in Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
READ ALSO: Akpoti-Uduaghan and the ‘Natashalisation’ of Kogi politics
INEC, which made the announcement via its official X handle, in a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said, “The petition for the recall of the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
In a detailed breakdown, INEC revealed that the petitioners failed to gather the requisite number of signatures/thumbprints, which must represent more than one-half of the registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
“For emphasis, a petition for the recall of a Senator must comply with the provision of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which requires the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the constituency.
“The total number of registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District is 474,554. More than one-half of this figure (i.e. 50%+1) is 237,277+1 which is at least 237,278 voters,” INEC said.
“Across the 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas and five Local Government Areas that make up the Senatorial District, the commission ascertained 208,132 signatures/thumbprints from the submission made by the petitioners.
“This translates to 43.86% of the registered voters which falls short of the constitutional requirement by 29,146 signatories.
“Consequently, the petition has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution. Therefore, no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator,” INEC declared.
But the petitioners said they remained unperturbed by INEC’s stance, insisting that there was no going back on their resolve to bring the Kogi senator back home.
The leader of the petitioners, Salihu Habib, in a statement, said, “We will liaise with INEC within the full ambit of the Constitution and regulations to demand transparency in the handling of our petition. We have utmost confidence in the commission not to subject the recall process to ambiguity or administrative opacity.”
However, the commission demurred. Speaking on Arise TV on Friday last week, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, expressed doubt over the possibility of the petitioners meeting the requirements for the recall.
Eta-Messi said, “The Constitution is silent on the recall process being started afresh. Even if that were to happen, we are not sure of the window that is required before a resubmission can be done.
“What the Commission did on Thursday was to state that, based on what was submitted earlier, the threshold was not met – the required 50 per cent plus one – but what we got during the physical inspection of the signatures was 43.8 per cent.
“So, as it is, what we have on ground has been done with. It is a done deal, and so that process has come to an end in line with the provisions of the Constitution.
“If they (petitioners) were to start a fresh petition now, the experts will advise us on that, but the law is silent on them re-presenting, and we do not know how soon they can do that.
“But the issue is, if they could only get 208,000 signatures, where are they now going to get the shortfall from? That is a question to ponder.”
But INEC may not have to wait for long before finding out.
TheNiche exclusively gathered over the weekend that the anti-Natasha forces are unrelenting in their quest to oust her from the red chamber of the National Assembly no matter the cost.
A highly authoritative source in the Senate said on Saturday that the Senate President is pressing ahead with the effort to recall her. “This is a more serious effort than the last one and this time, nothing will be left to chance,” our source, who pleaded anonymity, said.
“Since INEC said there is a shortfall of 29,146 signatories, the goal this time is to get 100,000 signatures so that there will be not excuse.”
TheNiche gathered that for this mission, about 10 master signature forgers from one of the Southwest states had reportedly been flown to Abuja and lodged in a hotel in Garki.
“They will work hand in gloves with the same boys from the Kogi Central constituency who were filmed doing the same thing in the aborted effort of last week.”
Meanwhile the diehard supporters of the Senate President who are said to be disappointed with the way INEC handled the recall process, leading to its abortion last week, are mounting pressure on the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, even with some subtle threats of consequences should the second attempt flounder.
TheNiche investigations revealed that the 100,000 new signatures may be submitted to INEC as early as today, Monday, April 7, but not later than Friday.
To ensure that nothing goes wrong, sources privy to the new scheme aver that a powerful minister in Tinubu’s government has been co-opted into the plot even as more funds have been released to those who have been on the project, including the former governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello, a well-known arch political rival of Senator Natasha.
All these maneuvers are taking place even as an embarrassed President Bola Tinubu is said to have decided to bring the shameful saga that has ridiculed Nigeria before the comity of nations to an end by constituting a peace and reconciliation committee to be headed by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
This is even as Akpabio and his supporters are insisting on having their pound of Natasha’s political flesh by flushing her out of the National Assembly.
“They cannot wait for the next election cycle. They see that as a defeat by a woman who they consider a political upstart and an outsider in the country’s power loop,” said a security source who is privy to the plans on Sunday.
“Don’t forget, these are political actors who don’t take prisoners. The interesting thing is that while Akpabio is fighting the political battle of his life and throwing in everything, he is at the same time sending confusing signals that could be misread as peace overtures. The idea is to lure the other side to some sort of complacency and then deliver the sucker punch.
“And the rush by Akpabio’s camp to push in the new signatures may be a calculated attempt to tie the hands of the President and make his planned peace effort dead on arrival. There are indications that Mr. President had set up a peace committee to bring an end to this shameful national odyssey. While some people think that any peace effort at this stage is certainly very belated, many still insist that it is better late than never. The collateral damage of this needless crisis to Nigeria is unquantifiable but there are indications that the announcement will be made today even as Tinubu is still holed up in France. But the earlier the better because any further delay may scuttle the President’s effort and present the Akpabio camp with a fait accompli,” our source further said.
