Activist backs Kogi Central constituents’ move to recall Senator Natasha over poor performance
…Says Embattled Senator has a history of lying and wrongfully accusing Nigerian leaders
Comrade Okpe Sylvanus, an activist and pro-democracy advocate, has expressed support for the constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District who are seeking to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
This move follows a petition submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by over 250,000 constituents, citing loss of confidence due to alleged misconduct and abuse of power.
The recall process is a constitutional mechanism allowing voters to remove elected officials if they lose confidence in their representation.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently suspended from the Senate due to a dispute with the Senate President
In a video that has now gone viral, the activist asserted that these were the electorate of Kogi Central and that, in accordance with their constitutional rights, they also had the power to recall her at any time.
The video, which lasted four minutes and 36 seconds, featured him criticizing the suspended Senator for her spurious allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The activist stated that, as a lawyer, senator, and educated woman, she should have been aware of the fundamental principle of evidence law that the burden of proof lies with the assertor.
He asserted that the suspended Senator diverted funds intended to better the lives of Kogi Central’s residents to finance global travel and disseminate frivolous comments.
According to him, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s history had demonstrated her tendency to falsely accuse individuals. He cited the case of a false sexual harassment allegation against Reno Omokri, which was disproven with concrete evidence.
“I am not from Kogi Central, but as a Nigerian who follows current events, I am aware that the allegations made against the Senate President, specifically the claim of sexual harassment, have not been substantiated. As an educated lawyer and Senator, she should have been familiar with the fundamental principles of evidence law, which dictate that the burden of proof lies with the accuser.”
“Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan lacks concrete evidence to validate these allegations. Her claims were made in a reckless manner. It is imperative that she provides tangible proof, including text messages, to corroborate these allegations. Unfortunately, she has failed to do so.”
“What she wants is to elicit emotions and make Nigerians believe what she has said, which is not feasible. Even if you want to believe her, she has a poor history of wrongfully accusing people.”
“She repeated this behavior with Reno Omokri in 2021, only to withdraw when confronted with unassailable evidence.”
“As a Nigerian man who holds Nigerian and African women in high regard, I was taken aback by her account of how he pressed her hand, commented on her waist, and other embarrassing remarks she shared.”
Furthermore, I am surprised. Where is her spouse? I find it surprising that any man would allow his wife to take such actions. I am also surprised that any man would permit his wife to cause him such embarrassment,”
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Sylvanus noted that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters were commencing to propagate the notion that the recall attempt was state-government sponsored, as a means of shifting the narrative.
He said, “I witnessed one girl producing a video, a content creator. These people spread misinformation they’re unfamiliar with.”
“Which constituents will not be dismayed seeing their representative wasting valuable time that should have been used to represent them constructively to discuss international issues, and attempting to blackmail the Senate President?
He scorned those who introduced former Governor Yahaya Bello into the recall narrative, observing, “It is clear that the name of former Governor Yahaya Bello holds significant appeal for these individuals. Whenever someone acts, it is habitually attributed to Yahaya Bello. Likewise, another person’s actions are also routinely attributed to Yahaya Bello.”
