The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any further action on the petition seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, after determining that it failed to meet constitutional requirements.
INEC made this decision on Thursday, April 3, 2025, during its regular weekly meeting after verifying the physical count of signatures and thumbprints submitted by the petitioners.
In a statement released by the National Commissioner and Chairman of Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, INEC confirmed that the petition did not gather the required number of voter signatures to proceed.
“For emphasis, a petition for the recall of a Senator must comply with the provision of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), which requires the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the constituency,” the statement read.
According to INEC, Kogi Central Senatorial District has a total of 474,554 registered voters, meaning the petition needed at least 237,278 valid signatures. However, only 208,132 signatures were submitted, falling short of the requirement by 29,146.
“Across the 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas and five Local Government Areas that make up the Senatorial District, the Commission ascertained 208,132 signatures/thumbprints from the submission made by the petitioners. This translates to 43.86% of the registered voters, which falls short of the constitutional requirement,” INEC stated.
Given this shortfall, the commission concluded that the recall process could not proceed.
“Consequently, the petition has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution. Therefore, no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator,” Olumekun added.
INEC has since issued a public notice on the matter, alongside a breakdown of the signature verification process. The details have also been made available on the commission’s website and social media platforms.
“In line with the provision of Clause 2(d) of the Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, the Commission has issued a Public Notice to that effect, which is also copied to the presiding officer of the Senate,” the statement noted.
