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Victor Giwa, one of the lawyers representing Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has accused the Kogi State Government of sponsoring the recall of the suspended female lawmaker as senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Speaking on Channels TV on Tuesday, Giwa alleged that the recall initiative is being spearheaded by Charity Omole, an aide to Governor Usman Ododo.
The female federal lawmaker was involved in a seat arrangement dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The lawmaker also accused Akpabio of sexual harassment and abuse of office. The Senate subsequently suspended her for six months for misconduct.
On Monday, March 24, 2025, Ododo’s aide, Omole, led some constituents from Kogi Central to submit a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the recall of Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Giwa described the recall effort as politically motivated and fraudulent, stating that such a process is nearly impossible without manipulation.
“The truth of the matter is that there is no way the recall process can go through except it is done fraudulently,” he said.
“The process takes about 15 stages and is a tortuous and practically impossible process.”
The lawyer further criticised the basis for the recall, arguing that it is not rooted in the senator’s performance but in her accusations against Akpabio.
“This is not issue-based or performance-centered. It is purely because she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment,” Giwa asserted.
Giwa also pointed to Omole’s position in the Ododo administration as evidence of government interference.
“Charity Ijese Omole is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Women and Youths. It is clear that this is a government-sponsored recall, not a constituent-led initiative,” he stated.
The state government has not reacted to the allegation as of press time.
KogiTrends reports on Tuesday that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) raised concerns over the petition submitted for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating that it lacks critical contact details and a definite address for the petitioners.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, INEC disclosed that while the petition was accompanied by six bags of documents containing purported signatures of over half of the 474,554 registered voters in Kogi Central, the submission failed to meet a crucial requirement: verifiable contact information.
“The petition from Kogi Central Senatorial District was accompanied by six bags of documents said to be signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene,” INEC said.
“The representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s), and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter forwarding the petition through which they can be contacted as provided in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines,” it stated.
“The address given is ‘Okene, Kogi State,’ which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of ‘the lead petitioner’ is provided as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners.”
This revelation raises fresh questions about the legitimacy of the recall process, which has been marred by allegations of fraud and political witch-hunt.
Despite the irregularities, INEC stated that if the petitioners comply with the requirements for a valid submission, the Commission will proceed with the next steps as mandated by law.
It said, “The Commission wishes to reiterate that the recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them.
“Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in our regulations, the Commission shall commence the verification of the signatures in each Polling Unit in an open process restricted to registered voters that signed the petition only.”
“If the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines regarding the submission of their petition, the Commission will announce the next steps in line with extant laws, regulations, and guidelines,” INEC added.
