Constituents in Kogi Central Senatorial District say the validation of 208,132 (43.86 per cent) signatures in the petition submitted for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a welcome development.
They thanked the INEC for doing a painstaking verification job but vowed to procede with the recall of the suspended senator.
The constituents stated this position on Thursday in a statement signed on their behalf by one Salihu Habib.
Habib issued the statement shortly after INEC updated Nigerians that the recall petition against Natasha failed to meet up with constitutional provisions.
However, the constituents, insisted that there was no going back on their resolve to bring the Kogi Senator back home.
According to them,
the validation of 43.86 per cent by the Commission still confirmed that Kogi Central constituents had abandoned the embattled Senator.
They promised to go back to the drawing board to fine-tune the process in line with the observation of the INEC.
“Apparently, INEC canceled not less than 35,000 signatures at the administrative stage.
“We will liaise with INEC within the full ambits of the Constitution and regulations to demand for transparency in the handling of our petition.
“We have utmost confidence in the Commission not to subject the recall process to ambiguity or administrative opacity,” the constituents said.
They expressed their gratitude to INEC for proving naysayers, who queried the authenticity of their figures, wrong.
“We thank INEC for making it clear that the bulk of the people of Kogi Central are behind us and that we did not import a crowd like a desperate, embattled lawmaker,” they said.
The petitioners insisted that the recall of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan “for misconduct and divisiveness” was non-negotiable.
They said : “We are firm in our resolve to restore dignified and collaborative representation to Kogi Central Senatorial District. We will no longer indulge someone who will do and say anything just to remain politically relevant.
“The whole of Nigeria watched her deceptive rally last Tuesday where she openly made comments capable of setting, not just Kogi State, but Nigeria ablaze.
“How can any patriotic Nigerian accuse other parts of the country of sabotaging Kogi State/the North because LNG plants are sited here?
“How can a responsible Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria try to pitch the North against the South?”
“We will pursue all lawful and constitutional means to ensure our voices are heard and respected.
“After God, power belongs to the people,” the constituents declared. (vitalnewsngr.com)
