The legal counsel for suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Victor Giwa, has alleged that the Kogi State government is orchestrating efforts to recall the female lawmaker from her position representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Giwa claimed Governor Usman Ododo’s administration, through his aide Charity Omole, is spearheading the recall campaign against the opposition senator.
The controversy follows Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension by the Senate after she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment and abuse of power, stemming from a dispute over seating arrangements in the chamber.
The recall effort gained momentum on Monday when Omole led a delegation of constituents to submit a petition to INEC. Giwa maintains this is a politically motivated move by Kogi’s APC-led government against the PDP senator.
“The truth of the matter is that there is no way the recall process can go through except it is done fraudulently,” Giwa said, adding that the process takes about 15 stages and “it is a tortuous and practically impossible process”.
Giwa faulted the reason for the recall of the female senator, saying it was not issue-based or performance-centred but because she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.”
The lawyer accused the state government of sponsoring the recall process against Akpoti-Uduaghan using Omole.
He said, “In this case, the lady that led that protest is the senior special assistant to the governor of Kogi State on women and youths. You will see that is government-sponsored recall.
“Charity Ijese Omole is currently the senior special assistant to the governor of Kogi State on women and youths. It is more or less the government sponsoring this process, not the constituents, and that fundamentally has faulted the process.
“The process of recall must be such that is initiated from the constituents but in this case, we can see the handwriting on the wall; it is the governor that is trying to do whatever they claim they are doing.”
The state government has not reacted to the allegation as of press time.
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