A group of constituents from Edo South Senatorial District has initiated a move to recall their representative, Senator Neda Imasuen, citing allegations of corruption, abuse of office, and failure to deliver on his mandate.
During a press briefing in Benin City on Friday, representatives from five of the district’s seven local government areas issued a 14-day notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Senate, and anti-corruption agencies, urging them to act on a petition for Imasuen’s removal.
The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, has been at the center of controversy following his role in the dismissal of a sexual harassment petition filed by suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The petitioners, including Kola Edokpayi (Oredo), Caesar Garrick (Ikpoba-Okha), Aghatise Raphael (Ovia South West), Ogbu David (Uhunwode), Okorie Kingsley (Ovia North East), and Hanson Orako (Egor), expressed concerns over what they described as Imasuen’s lack of engagement with his constituents.
“We have created a platform to raise awareness and facilitate the recall process of failed legislators in Edo South. We don’t need to consult the Oracle of the Hill and Cave to tell us that Senator Neda Imasuen has maintained grave silence in the Senate, prompting us to conceive the process of his recall,” they stated.
The group further accused the senator of failing to implement constituency projects, distancing himself from the electorate, and withholding critical information about his professional history.
A key allegation against Imasuen involves his reported disbarment by the New York Supreme Court in 2010 over accusations of fraud and misappropriation of client funds.
The constituents are calling for a thorough international investigation, involving INTERPOL, into the circumstances of his disbarment and his subsequent political career in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was recently suspended from the Senate, has also filed a petition with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee seeking Imasuen’s disbarment from the Nigerian Bar.
Her petition alleges that he failed to disclose his disbarment in his electoral documents submitted to INEC.
The controversy surrounding Imasuen intensified after the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an interim order on March 4, 2025, preventing his committee from proceeding with an investigation against Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged misconduct.
However, despite receiving the court order, the committee went ahead with the proceedings, leading to her suspension on March 6, 2025.
In her petition, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Imasuen of contempt of court and procedural bias, arguing that while he dismissed her sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio on procedural grounds, he aggressively pursued disciplinary action against her.
