The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the petition seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The electoral body cited non-compliance with its submission guidelines as the basis for its decision.
In a statement released on Tuesday, INEC confirmed that it received the petition on Monday.
The petition was said to have been signed by over 250,000 constituents from Kogi Central, calling for the senator’s removal.
However, the commission maintained that the petition failed to meet the procedural requirements outlined in its 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.
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According to the statement signed by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, the submission was found wanting in key areas.
The petitioners failed to provide complete contact details, including exact addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of their representatives, as mandated by Clause 1 (f) of the regulations.
“The petition from Kogi Central Senatorial District was accompanied by six bags of documents said to be signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene,” the statement read.
“However, the Commission’s immediate observation is that the representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter forwarding the petition, through which they can be contacted as provided in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines. The address given is ‘Okene, Kogi State’, which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of the lead petitioner was provided, as against the numbers of all other representatives.”
INEC reiterated that the recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters within the constituency. Once a petition meets the submission requirements, the Commission would commence verification of the signatures at each Polling Unit in a transparent process, restricted to the signatories alone.
The Commission assured the public that if the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of Clause 1(f), the next steps would be announced in accordance with existing laws. However, in the absence of a definite contact address, INEC disclosed that it is exploring other means to notify the petitioners of the situation.
“The Commission reassures the public that it will be guided by the legal framework for recall. The public should therefore discountenance any speculations and insinuations in the social media,” the statement added.
The recall effort against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan followed her suspension from the Senate on 6th March over allegations of “gross misconduct” after a dispute over seating arrangements.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had earlier accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment — an allegation that Akpabio has vehemently denied.
During the petition submission, Charity Omole, a representative of the petitioners, insisted that the recall was necessary to ensure continuous representation for Kogi Central in the Senate.
“We have come to recall her so that we can have a representative in the Senate. We are here to tell INEC to please follow the constitutional process for a recall so that the recall process can begin,” she said.
“We submitted the petition and it has been received. All other documents have been received,” she added.
“We are the ones that voted for her, and we don’t want her anymore because we cannot afford not to have a representative. Nobody is bankrolling us. Nobody is having any personal issue with her. It is just what it is. The game is the game.”
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
