Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has reaffirmed her commitment to pursuing justice over what she described as sexual harassment by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The lingering dispute between both lawmakers escalated following a disagreement over Senate seat arrangements, leading to Natasha’s six-month suspension for alleged misconduct.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, April 3, the lawmaker vowed to publicly present her evidence when the time is right.

“At the right time and at the right space, I will present the evidence that I have,” Natasha stated.

She had earlier accused the Senate President of harassment and abuse of office.

Recall attempt hits a wall

Natasha also reacted to the recent attempt to recall her from office, commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for rejecting the petition initiated by some constituents allegedly led by Charity Omole, an aide to Kogi state Governor Usman Ododo.

“I’m a lawyer. I’m a senator and I understand how Nigeria works. For me, the most important thing is this recall process has been stalled,” she said.

While noting that the electoral umpire’s decision came late, she applauded their final resolution, Daily Trust reported.

“I give kudos and credit to INEC even though I believe they should have thrown it away from the get-go,” she added.

Natasha claims of falsehood in petition signatures

Natasha questioned the credibility of the recall petition, arguing that many addresses submitted were inaccurate and unverifiable.

“Most houses in my district aren’t labelled. Even though INEC did count 208,000 signatures, I bet you if they had gone into the verification stage, they would have struggled to even have 500 people come out to attest to signing that,” she claimed.

In its official statement on Thursday, Apriil 2, INEC confirmed that the petition did not meet the constitutional threshold.

“The petition for the recall of the lawmaker did not meet the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Therefore, no further action shall be taken,” the electoral body declared.