INEC receives petition to recall Senator Natasha from Senate

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially received a petition demanding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan's recall from the Nigerian Senate.

The petition, signed by over 250,000 Kogi Central Senatorial District constituents, was submitted at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, March 24.

The Commission's secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, accepted the petition on behalf of INEC, setting the stage for a constitutional review of the recall process.

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The petitioners claim to have gathered signatures from more than half of the district’s 480,000 registered voters.

In their petition, titled Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence, the signatories cited allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and evasion of due process.

“We, the undersigned, being duly registered voters of Kogi Central, hereby invoke our rights under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to formally demand the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Nigerian Senate,” the petition stated.

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The embattled senator, who is currently serving a suspension for allegedly violating Senate rules, is accused of engaging in a “pattern of deceitful behaviour” that has “embarrassed the people of Kogi Central and tarnished the integrity of the Nigerian Senate.”

With the petition now in INEC’s hands, the electoral body is expected to initiate the procedural steps outlined in Section 69 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

If the recall process is successful, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat in the Senate could be declared vacant.

As the situation unfolds, all eyes will be on INEC to determine the next course of action in this unprecedented recall bid.