Women in Northern Nigeria have issued a stern warning to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, cautioning against any hasty recall process targeting Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central.
In a statement released in Abuja on Sunday, the Northern Women Front, led by Chairperson Hajia Rugayya Suleiman, condemned the alleged political maneuvers against Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing them as part of a larger war waged by male politicians against women in Nigeria.
The group also applauded key figures and organizations standing in defense of women’s rights, including Primate Elijah Ayodele of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and the Kogi chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). They particularly praised Ezekwesili’s courage, branding her recent attacker a “despot and a public relations disaster” who should remain silent.
Furthermore, they lauded CAC for their commendable work and urged chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to abandon their push for Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall. “Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a pillar of strength and a woman of great moral integrity,” the statement emphasized, reaffirming unwavering support for the embattled senator.
The women vowed to resist any attempt to silence female voices in Nigerian politics, calling on the Senate to uphold democratic values and respect gender equality. “The women of the world stand with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,” the statement declared, decrying the recent actions of some male politicians as a direct attack on women in leadership.
