INEC Declares Petition to Recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Insufficient

 The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the petition submitted for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, does not meet the constitutional and legal requirements necessary to initiate such a process. 

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, revealed that the petition was accompanied by six bags of documents containing signatures from voters. 

These signatures were purportedly collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 polling units in 57 registration areas (wards) within the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.​

Upon thorough examination, INEC concluded that the petition failed to satisfy the stipulated criteria for commencing a recall process. This development follows a series of events, including a Federal High Court ruling affirming the validity of the recall process and allegations from Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team accusing the Kogi State Government of orchestrating the recall efforts. 

The senator’s legal representatives have expressed concerns about the motives behind the recall attempt, suggesting political undercurrents aimed at undermining her mandate. INEC’s decision underscores the importance of adhering to due process and legal standards in electoral matters, ensuring that any move to recall an elected representative is firmly grounded in the provisions of the law.