The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has been deemed inadequate.
According to INEC, the petition fell short of the required signatures, with only 208,132 signatures/thumbprints submitted, compared to the necessary 237,278 (50% + 1 of registered voters). According to the constitution, a 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 total number of registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District is 474,554. More than one-half of this figure (i.e. 50%+1) is 237,277+1 which is at least 237,278 voters
The commission had verified the signatures across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas and five Local Government Areas, finding that the petitioners' submission accounted for only 43.86% of the registered voters, short of the constitutional requirement by 29,146 signatories.
As a result, INEC has issued a Public Notice stating that no further action will be taken on the recall of the Senator, as the petition did not meet the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution.
This development comes after a Federal High Court in Lokoja had initially barred INEC from accepting recall petitions, only to later overturn the ruling and reaffirm the constitutional right to recall elected officials.
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