Two youth organizations, the Northern Peoples Congress and the Afenifere Youth Stakeholders’ Forum, have dismissed the ongoing recall effort against Kogi West Senator , Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, citing the overwhelming turnout at her homecoming rally as proof of her strong support among constituents.
Speaking to journalists after the event on Tuesday—despite reported attempts by the Kogi State Government to halt it—leaders from both groups asserted that the recall initiative has effectively lost credibility.
Yusuf Alero, Chairman of the Northern Peoples Congress, and Kehinde Olatunde, Coordinator of the Afenifere Youth Stakeholders’ Forum, emphasized that the sheer number of attendees demonstrated the senator’s popularity.
In a joint statement they made available to journalists, they said, “The thousands of people who trooped out, walked long distances on their own, was a clear indication that Senator Natasha is cherished and loved by her people.
“What we saw was organic love, expressed wholeheartedly by the people despite the fruitless efforts of the powers that be.
“Having initiated the kangaroo recall process, their plan was to stop anything that would prove to the world that Senator Natasha’s constituents have no hand in it.
“However, they failed woefully as the people defied intimidation, defied the associated stress and trekked long distances to this place.
“The Kogi State Government and their accomplices should be hiding their faces in shame right now. They have been exposed before the world that they are not on ground in the state despite the mago mago electoral process that brought the current governor into power.”
The Igbo groups cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to live up to its name and avoid making itself a willful tool in the hands of politicians.
“All eyes are under the compromised INEC under Prof Yakubu Mahmood; he has never conducted a credible election in Kogi State.
“However, with what happened on Tuesday, the INEC does not need to be told that the people are ready to put their lives on the line to defend the mandate they gave to Senator Natasha.
“It is no longer business as usual; this particular case is business unusual,” the groups declared.
