Abuja – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan has failed to meet the constitutional requirements.
In a press release issued after its weekly meeting on Thursday, made available via the Commission official X handle, and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, INEC stated that following a thorough review of the signatures and thumbprints submitted by the petitioners, the total verified count stood at 208,132, representing 43.86% of the registered voters in the senatorial district.
This, INEC says, falls short of the constitutional requirement of more than one-half of the 474,554 registered voters, which amounts to at least 237,278 signatories.
INEC emphasized that the recall process was handled with fairness and in strict compliance with legal provisions and its 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall. The Commission had initially verified the petitioners’ compliance with submission requirements, formally notified the senator in question, and published a public notice before proceeding with the verification exercise.
However, with the shortfall of 29,146 signatures, the petition has been deemed unsuccessful. “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,” Olumekun declared.
The statement added that a public notice reflecting this decision has been issued, and a summary of the review, including a breakdown of signatures by local government areas, is available on INEC’s website and social media platforms.
