Do me, I do you

Senator Natasha might be getting kicked out of the Senate soon

Good morning, Big Brains. I tried to come up with some aspire to perspire rubbish, but I couldn’t. I just hope we survive another round of capitalism.

This Week’s Big Question: ”Which Nigerian politician deserves to be cancelled and why?” Share your responses with us, and if we think they’re fun enough, we’ll feature them in the newsletter :) so be on the lookout.

- Margaret

Word count: ~ 1, 000
Reading time ~ 5 mins

---

Let’s get into the news you missed during the weekend:

• Senator Natasha might be getting kicked out of the Senate soon

• Trump is coming for his opps

---

The Big Deal

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan might be getting kicked out of the Senate soon

2025 might be the worst year in the history of Nigerian politics. We’re not even halfway into the year, and we’ve already seen a sitting president break the constitution. Now, we’re witnessing what seems to be a final act of injustice in the Akpoti-Udughan vs Akpabio case.

For weeks, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has continued what many Nigerians have tagged as the televised shaming of Nigeria’s Senate President but now, the courts have set the stage for her possible removal from the Senate.

On Friday, March 22, a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, ruled that the process of removing Natasha from office can continue. This ruling comes after the same court had earlier stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting a petition calling for her removal. The court has reversed that decision, stating that the recall process is valid and that the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District have the right to demand it; as long as they do so peacefully and orderly.

But Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters say the signatures contained in the petition for the Senator’s recall are fake. The court acknowledged this concern and ruled that INEC cannot accept or act on any petition containing false names, but it didn’t stop the entire process. The next court hearing has been scheduled for May 6, 2025.

Why is this a big deal?

It’s no big deal that a senator is getting recalled, but the senator in question is the big deal. A recall process isn’t initiated except if there is a loss of confidence in the official. What exactly would make Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents who elected her into office suddenly lose confidence in her? A sexual harassment allegation against the senate president? That would be too convenient given the history of this case.

There are too many reasons to doubt the legitimacy of this recall process. Some Kogi Central constituents claimed that sometime last week, some officials lured them into participating in the recall process by making it look like they were there for an empowerment scheme.

To make things even more suspicious, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kogi State, Hale Longpet, publicly denied knowing anything about the recall process yet the court has suddenly backed the process, overturning its earlier decision and allowing the recall to move forward.

This isn’t just about a senator losing her seat—it’s about whether due process is actually being followed. If there are already claims of deception and her own people claim to have nothing against her, how credible is this recall? And more importantly, who stands to benefit from it?

This looks more like a “Do me, I do you situation” sponsored by you-know-who. We’ve seen Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan robbed of the opportunity to state her case in the Senate and suspended after her sexual harassment allegation. Now that she’s telling the world her story, her “constituents” are suddenly attempting to permanently throw her out of office. How convenient!

Trump is coming for his opps

Donald Trump's seat in the White House isn’t fully warm yet, and the president is already coming for his enemies. In his latest act of villainy, he has stripped the security clearance of a long list of political rivals, including former US Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and members of ex-President Joe Biden’s family.

For context, security clearance allows former government officials to access classified information, usually as a courtesy. But Trump has decided that his opps no longer need that privilege. In his words, “I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information.” And if you were wondering, this isn’t his first rodeo. In February, he revoked Joe Biden’s security clearance. Now, he’s doubling down by adding more names to the list.

The “enemies” on Trump’s “I will show you pepper” list include top Biden administration officials like Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman, two former Trump aides who testified against him during his first impeachment trial, are also on the list. Even Republicans who voted in favour of his second impeachment, like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, weren’t spared.

Trump justifies his decision by pointing to Biden’s 2021 move to deny him intelligence briefings, arguing that Biden had concerns about his “erratic behaviour.”

With this latest move, Trump has made it clear that his second term is about payback. If history is anything to go by, this is just the beginning of this drama.

---

Your next big read

→“My Parents Sent Me to Nigeria for Discipline, But I Returned to Brazil to Chase My Dreams”: Nath (21) became too troublesome for his parents to handle so they brought him back to Nigeria as a form of punishment. In this week’s edition of Abroad Life, he shares how he struggled after the sudden relocation and defied all odds to find his way back to Brazil.

→Raye, Ningi and Akpoti-Uduaghan: Every Nigerian Is a Victim of the ‘Silence Culture’: There are two things we struggle to challenge in Nigeria — culture and age-imposed authority. In our culture, our elders are always assumed to be wise. The number of years a person has lived in Nigeria is synonymous with the depth of wisdom they are assumed to possess.

---

The Big Picks

Amnesty Int’l Seeks Probe Into Natasha’s Allegations Against Akpabio: The allegation Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan levelled against Senate President Goodwill Akpabio must be investigated, Amnesty International has said.

Tinubu Should Restore Fubara As Governor, Administrator Unconstitutional – NBA: The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has reiterated its position that the removal of the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, by President Bola Tinubu, is unconstitutional and has called on the President to reverse that decision.

---

Take a quiz before you leave

What Era of Your Life Are You Currently In? Share your results and tag us on social media.