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Summary
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has denied reports that she apologised to the Senate over her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, calling it an attempt to silence her. Meanwhile, INEC has received a recall petition against her, signed by voters from Kogi Central. A Federal High Court in Lokoja has lifted an injunction blocking the recall process, affirming the right of constituents to remove their senator. While INEC insists on its constitutional duty to act on the petition, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team is contesting the recall’s legitimacy. The case is set for a hearing on April 9, 2025.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi West) has dismissed claims that she apologised to the Senate regarding her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, describing the reports as a deliberate attempt to silence her.
In a statement on Monday, Mar. 24, 2025, Senator Natasha condemned what she called an orchestrated campaign to tarnish her image, vowing to remain steadfast in her pursuit of justice. “I stand firm in my resolve to never apologise for speaking my truth. The desperation to silence me is palpable, but I will not be intimidated,” she asserted.
Her suspension from the Senate, she argued, is part of a broader pattern of suppressing dissenting voices, particularly those of women who challenge the status quo. She urged the public to disregard reports of an apology, branding them as false and manipulative.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially received a petition demanding her recall, submitted by a group of registered voters from Kogi Central. The petition, dated March 21, 2025, was presented at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
“We, the undersigned, being duly registered voters of Kogi Central Senatorial District, hereby invoke our rights under Nigerian law to formally demand the recall of Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,” the petition reads. “By this petition, signed by more than half of the registered voters in Kogi Central, we demand that INEC immediately commence the constitutional process of recall to declare her seat vacant.”
The move comes after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja overturned an earlier injunction that had restrained INEC from processing the recall petition. Justice Isa Dashen, in his ruling, upheld the constitutional right of constituents to initiate a recall process and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case, scheduling the next court session for April 9, 2025.
Addressing journalists after submitting the petition, group leader Charity Omole stated: “We voted her in, and now we have decided to recall her. This is our democratic right.”
INEC’s counsel, Abdullahi Aliyu (SAN), argued that no court has the jurisdiction to prevent a constitutional body like INEC from performing its duties. However, Senator Natasha’s legal team, led by West Idahosa (SAN), opposed the ruling, contending that allegations of forgery and illegality in the recall process warranted judicial intervention.
