The Independent National Electoral Commission has reaffirmed its decision to reject the recall petition against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating that the petition failed to meet the constitutional threshold.
In a statement released after its weekly meeting on Thursday, April 3, 2025, INEC disclosed that a thorough verification of the signatures and thumbprints submitted by the petitioners showed that they fell short of the required number.
“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,” INEC stated.
The commission explained that for a recall process to proceed, more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in Kogi Central Senatorial District at least 237,278 voters must support the petition. However, the collected signatures did not meet this requirement.
“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 added.
INEC assured Nigerians that the process was handled with fairness and in line with the law. It outlined the steps taken, including notifying the senator, informing the Senate’s presiding officer, and conducting a physical count of the submitted signatures before reaching its decision.
In compliance with its regulations, the commission has issued a public notice confirming the petition’s failure.
A summary of the signature verification process, broken down by local government areas, has also been made available on INEC’s website and social media platforms.
Reacting to the development, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan reiterated her stance that the recall attempt was politically motivated.
“This was never about my performance but a desperate attempt to derail my work for the people of Kogi Central,” she said.
