The petition seeking the recall of the suspended Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has failed to meet the constitutional threshold as it did not garner the required 50% of registered voters’ signatures.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed this in a statement issued on Thursday, after completing the physical count of the signatures submitted by the petitioners.
“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,” INEC stated.
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According to the electoral body, Kogi Central Senatorial District has a total of 474,554 registered voters.
For the petition to be valid, at least 237,278 signatures were required. However, only 208,132 signatures were ascertained, representing 43.86% of the registered voters, which falls short by 29,146 signatories.
“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 by 29,146 signatories. 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,” the statement signed by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, read.
INEC outlined the steps taken to ensure due process was followed. “First, we ensured that the petitioners complied with the requirements for the submission of the petition.
“Secondly, we notified the member sought to be recalled in writing, copied the presiding officer of the Senate, and simultaneously published the notice on our website.
“Thirdly, we informed Nigerians that the next step would be to carefully ascertain the number of signatures/thumbprints to ensure that the petition complies with the requirement of the law. This exercise has now been completed,” the Commission explained.
In accordance with Clause 2(d) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, INEC has issued a Public Notice confirming the outcome of the petition review.
The notice, along with a summary of the review disaggregated by local government areas, has been made available on INEC’s website and social media platforms for public access.
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The recall petition was initiated by a group of petitioners who accused Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of “gross misconduct, abuse of office, evasion of due process, and a litany of actions that have not only embarrassed the people of Kogi Central constituency but also tainted the integrity of the Nigerian Senate and our democratic institutions.” The petitioners claimed that they had secured signatures from more than half of the registered voters in Kogi Central and urged INEC to proceed with the recall process.
However, the recall process faced procedural delays, with INEC initially stating that it could not proceed due to the petitioners’ failure to provide the necessary contact details for official communication. After this requirement was fulfilled, INEC proceeded with the verification exercise, which has now concluded with the recall petition failing to meet the constitutional standard.
INEC reassured Nigerians of its commitment to conducting electoral processes transparently and in strict adherence to the law.
“We handled this matter with fairness to the parties involved and in line with the provisions of the law and our regulations and guidelines,” the Commission affirmed.
