- Politicians loyal to Yahaya Bello allegedly misled Kogi residents with promises of financial aid to extract signatures for a recall process against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
- Multiple videos showed residents exposing the deceit, with many expressing anger over the fraudulent empowerment programme
- Despite the manipulation, Kogi Central residents resisted the recall, with many refusing to endorse the petition
Kogi residents have spoken up against a recent political manipulation, with alleged loyalists of former Governor Yahaya Bello accused of tricking them into participating in a fraudulent empowerment programme.
The scheme was designed to gather signatures and voter information for a recall effort against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Kogi locals denounce fraudulent recall effort against Akpoti-Uduaghan
One resident, in a video, expressed frustration about the deceit, saying, “We are not here for the recall process of Natasha. We are here for an empowerment. And we were given instructions to come with our voter cards. They told us to come here for empowerment with our voter cards.”
Another individual, identified as Mrs Joseph, denounced the scheme, calling it a scam. "I call the recall process a mess. Nobody was aware of it at all. These people deceived us with the promise of empowerment. It was only when we arrived that many of us realized something was wrong,” she explained.
“People started leaving. I see it as a fraud, and they are doing something the people do not support. I do not support it, and the majority of people in this local government are against it.”
Several other residents confirmed the fraud, placing the blame on Yahaya Bello’s supporters.
A young man at the scene shared his experience,” “Early this morning, we were told to come for empowerment. When we arrived, we were asked to bring our voter cards. We questioned it because we were told this was just empowerment. Then they gave us a form to fill out with our Voter Identification Number (VIN) and signature. Most of us refused because we knew empowerment isn’t done this way.”
Bello, Akpabio accused of orchestrating Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall
Accusations were made that the deception was part of a larger strategy by Yahaya Bello and Senate President Godswill Akpabio to force Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan out of office.
This comes after Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension from the Senate.
Despite these efforts, residents of Kogi Central have strongly resisted the recall. Many have refused to sign the recall petitions, exposing the fraudulent nature of the process.
"We don’t want to recall Natasha because she has been delivering for us since she joined the Senate," a constituent said, reflecting the sentiment of many in the area.
Natasha vs Akpabio: Groups turn protests to wars over support for both senators
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that women in Akwa Ibom protested in defence of Akpabio, denouncing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations.
According to the report, there was also a counter-protest in Abuja that called for a fair investigation into Akpabio’s alleged misconduct.