Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Some Civil Society Organizations including #FixPolitics Africa; and Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre; Transition Monitoring Group; and Enough is Enough Nigeria; have written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, requesting the release of the Certified True Copy (CTC), of the recall petition against the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Udughan.
The CSOs urged INEC to ensure transparency and due process in handling the petition by making available the CTC of the initial petition which the electoral umpire rejected for failing to meet the required threshold, before receiving a fresh petition being allegedly considered by the petitioners.
They also called for investigation of possible signature forgery in the rejected petition.
According to the CSOs, the petitioners are purportedly preparing a fresh petition as INEC had rejected their earlier petition which failed the constitutional requirements.
In a letter signed by the Executive Director of #FixPolitics Africa, Anthony Ubani; and Executive Director of WARDC, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the stakeholders urged INEC to ensure the suspended Senator received the CTC of the rejected petition before receiving another petition against her.
A copy of the letter obtained by Ikengaonline read: “We understand that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has requested the CTC of the recall petition your office received against her. Also, following the commission’s announcement that the petition did not meet the threshold, the petitioners are in the process of collecting additional signatures and plan to resubmit the petition.
“We understand that the allegations of forged signatures can only be investigated by the police and the true nature of support for the recall process will only become apparent if the commission goes to the field for verification.”
Ikengaonline checks revealed that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had made a formal request for the CTC and paid the necessary fees for it but INEC, at the time of filing this report, had not released the CTC to her.
Recall that Senator Akpoti-Udughan was suspended for six months after she accused the Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment against her.
She has since reported the Senate to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, in her bid for justice.
