The attempt to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District, has failed to meet the constitutional threshold set out in Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made this official announcement on Thursday through its X account. The statement was issued by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
According to INEC, “The petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District does not fulfill the requirements of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
INEC further clarified that the petitioners failed to gather the necessary number of signatures/thumbprints, which must constitute more than half of the registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
To elaborate, a recall petition requires signatures from more than 50% of the registered voters in the senator’s constituency. With a total of 474,554 registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District, this means at least 237,278 signatures were needed to meet the threshold.
However, the petitioners only managed to collect 208,132 signatures, which is 43.86% of the registered voters, falling short of the required number by 29,146 signatures.
INEC further outlined that the petition was submitted across 902 polling units within 57 registration areas and five local government areas, but it still failed to meet the necessary constitutional criteria.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed that the petition for the recall of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan does not meet the necessary legal criteria outlined in Section 69(a) of the Constitution. As a result, INEC has decided not to take any further action regarding the recall process.
In accordance with the law, INEC also issued a Public Notice detailing the outcome of its review. This notice, along with a breakdown of the signatures and thumbprints by Local Government Area, is accessible to the public on INEC’s official website and social media channels.
The controversy surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan has intensified in recent weeks, following her allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. She had formally petitioned the Senate to address the matter, but on March 6, the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed her allegations and imposed a six-month suspension without pay on her.
Tensions rose further when a group of her constituents submitted a recall petition to INEC last week, seeking her removal from office.
