Senator Natasha retains seat as INEC declares recall petition inadequate

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed the petition seeking to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating that it did not meet constitutional requirements.

In a statement released on Thursday, April 3, INEC clarified that the recall petition for the Kogi Central senator failed to satisfy the provisions of Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“The petition for the recall of the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution,” INEC wrote on its X handle.

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INEC further explained that a recall petition must be signed by more than half of the registered voters in the affected 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., 237,278 voters) is required,” INEC’s National Commissioner for Information & Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, stated.

However, after reviewing the petition, the electoral body found that only 208,132 signatures were submitted, falling short of the required threshold.

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This decision follows an earlier rejection of the petition over missing details. Petitioners later provided the missing information, but the revised submission still failed to meet all constitutional requirements.

“Consequently, the petition has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution. No further action shall be taken on the recall of the senator,” Olumekun affirmed.

With INEC’s verdict, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan retains her seat, putting an end—at least for now—to the recall effort.