The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed a petition seeking to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central in the Senate, due to its failure to meet constitutional requirements.
The commission, after verifying the signatures/thumbprints submitted with the petition, determined that only 43.86% of registered voters supported the recall—well below the more than 50% threshold mandated by Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Announcing the decision on Thursday following its weekly meeting, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, clarified the legal framework guiding recall processes.
“A recall petition must comply with the provisions of Section 69(a) of the Constitution, which requires the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the constituency,” Olumekun stated.
Providing details on the verification exercise, he said, “The total number of registered voters in Kogi Central Senatorial District stands at 474,554. To meet the recall requirement, at least 237,278 voters must support the petition. However, after our review, we confirmed only 208,132 valid signatures, which amounts to just 43.86%. This falls short of the required number by 29,146 signatories.”
Due to this shortfall, INEC has decided that “no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator,” in line with the provisions of the law.
Olumekun added that INEC has issued a public notice reflecting its decision, which has also been communicated to the Senate’s presiding officer. “The public notice and a detailed breakdown of the verification process by Local Government Areas have been made available on our website and social media platforms,” he added.
He assured Nigerians that the commission had handled the matter fairly and transparently. “First, we ensured that the petitioners met the requirements for submission. Next, we duly notified the Senator facing recall, copied the Senate presiding officer, and made the process public. Finally, we carefully verified the submitted signatures against the legal standard. This exercise is now concluded,” he explained.
With the recall effort failing to meet constitutional requirements, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will continue to represent Kogi Central in the Senate unless another legally valid petition emerges.
