A Day of False Hope
In the early hours of Thursday, 20th March, the rural residents of Kogi Central District woke up to another day of hard hustle in a challenging economy. Survival was their primary concern, as always. But their daily grind took an unexpected turn when news spread that an empowerment palliative had arrived for them.
For a people battling poverty even in their safest dreams, such news was too good to ignore. If the government remembered their existence with palliatives, it surely meant good fortune. Every other task of the day could wait.
By morning, the supposed empowerment venue was flooded with hopeful residents, eager to receive what they believed was their share of government relief—something to at least sustain them for the day.
But what awaited them was not the empowerment they had envisioned.
A Recall Wrapped in Deception
Instead of the much-needed relief, the gathering turned out to be a sham orchestrated by faceless politicians determined to banish Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate.
At first, the people were naive and unsuspecting, but it didn’t take long for them to realize they were being used in a sinister political game—a fraudulent recall process disguised as an empowerment program.
How could they possibly be recalling their beloved Senator—one who had delivered more dividends of democracy than any representative they had ever known?
Perhaps the masterminds of the faux recall knew that Natasha had earned the people’s trust, making an honest recall nearly impossible. So, they resorted to deception, using poverty as bait to manipulate the same people who stood firmly behind her.
The Legal Impossibility of Natasha’s Recall
While the botched recall attempt may have failed, it serves as a wake-up call and a lesson in political desperation.
By Nigerian law, recalling a lawmaker is no small feat. It requires the signatures of at least 50% of registered voters from the election that brought the lawmaker into office.
No election in Nigeria has ever recorded a 50% voter turnout, making the recall process nearly impossible to achieve—at least through legal means. Yet some disgruntled politicians and their clique of law offenders, fully aware of this, still attempted to bypass the law in their reckless bid to oust Natasha.
This act of political madness only highlights the rampant abuse of power, disregard for due process, and lawlessness that have become trademarks of the APC-led administration.
INEC’s Double Standards
Even INEC, infamous for its questionable credibility, disowned the entire recall process.
The Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Gabriel Longpet, clarified that no notice of recall had been brought to the electoral body.
According to INEC guidelines, a recall must follow due process:
- The lawmaker’s constituents must formally submit a petition to INEC.
- The state’s INEC Chairman must be notified.
- The lawmaker in question must receive a formal communication regarding the recall.
However, in Natasha’s case, none of these steps were followed.
Not only did INEC claim ignorance, but even Natasha herself was completely blindsided while she was away on international media engagements,
So, if INEC wasn’t informed and Natasha wasn’t notified, who initiated the recall?
Who was being recalled?
A Sinister Prelude to 2027
The fraudulent recall attempt in Kogi serves as a disturbing preview of what may come in the 2027 general elections.
If a group of desperate political godfathers could secretly stage a recall process without due process, what stops them from attempting the same in future elections?
Will 2027 be an election where a few powerbrokers, sitting comfortably in their “other rooms,” will simply write election results, hand them over to INEC, and command them to announce them—regardless of the people’s will?
The Kogi recall fiasco is more than just a failed political coup against Natasha. It is a warning of the looming electoral fraud that Nigerians must resist at all costs.
The Criminality of Nigeria’s Political Class
Beyond the legal and electoral implications, the recall sham exposes the sheer criminality of Nigerian politicians.
That residents of Kogi Central were tricked into unknowingly participating in a fraudulent recall—using the promise of empowerment palliatives—demonstrates the depths of deception and manipulation that politicians are willing to employ.
The reckless desperation of some desperate politicians must be a cause for concern for every right-thinking Nigerian who still holds an ounce of hope for the country.
If this madness is left unchecked, it won’t be long before democracy is completely hijacked by lawless political actors who see the rule of law as nothing more than an obstacle to their selfish ambitions.
Final Thoughts
The failed recall attempt of Senator Natasha is a disgraceful example of the criminality, lawlessness, and desperation that characterize Nigerian politics.
While the people of Kogi Central may have seen through the deception in time, the plot itself is a dangerous signal of what the ruling class is willing to do to maintain power.
Nigerians must stay vigilant, resist political fraud, and ensure that democracy does not fall into the hands of a few self-serving individuals who see the electorate as mere pawns in their power games.
This article is developed from a thread by Obiasogu David from his X account @Afrosagacity
