The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected a petition seeking to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, citing procedural irregularities.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC disclosed that the petition was accompanied by six bags of documents containing purported signatures of over half of the 474,554 registered voters across the 902 polling units in the district. The petitioners claim to represent the five Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.
However, INEC noted that the petition failed to meet the procedural requirements outlined in its Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024. Specifically, the representatives of the petitioners did not provide a verifiable contact address, telephone numbers, or email addresses, as required by Clause 1(f) of the regulations.
“The address given is simply ‘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 the other representatives,” Olumekun stated.
INEC reiterated that a legislator’s recall is a constitutional process that must strictly adhere to legal provisions, emphasizing that it remains committed to due process. The commission stated that if the petitioners rectify the identified deficiencies, it would announce the next steps in line with extant laws and guidelines.
Organisers of the rejected recall documents.
“In the absence of a definite contact address, the Commission is making efforts to use other means to notify the representatives of the petitioners of the situation,” the statement read.
INEC further urged the public to disregard speculations and misinformation circulating on social media regarding the recall process. The commission reaffirmed that any recall process would be transparent, involving the verification of signatures through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), with petitioners, observers, and the media accredited to monitor the exercise.
This development comes amid heightened political tensions in Kogi Central, where Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has been at the center of political debates and power struggles. Her supporters view the recall attempt as politically motivated, while her opponents argue that it reflects dissatisfaction among constituents.
With INEC’s rejection of the petition on procedural grounds, the fate of the recall process remains uncertain, pending further compliance by the petitioners. GMTNewsng
