The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that the petition submitted for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti -Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) from the Senate has failed to meet constitutional requirements.
In a statement signed by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, INEC said the petition failed to meet Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The statement reads in part, “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hereby notifies the public that the petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, which was submitted to the Commission on Monday 24h March 2025 by representatives of the petitioners who are registered voters in the constituency, has not met the requirement of Section 69 (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
INEC further explained that the constitutional requirement for a recall was to get a signed petition by at least 50 per cent plus one person registered to vote in the constituency.
But the petition submitted against Natasha was signed by 43.86 per cent of the constituents. It said only 208,132 of the 474,554 registered voters in the constituency signed the petition.
INEC said, “Consequently, no further action shall be taken on the petition.
“This Public Notice is issued pursuant to the provision of Clause 2(d) of the Regulations and Guidelines for the Recall of a Member of the National Assembly, House of Assembly of a State or Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (2024).”
In another statement by its spokesperson, Sam Olumekun, INEC explained that the signatories’ requirement fell short by 29,146 voters from the constituency.
Olumekun said the leadership of the Senate has also been copied in the public notice of the outcome.
“The public notice, along with a summary of the review of the signatures/thumbprints of the petitioners, which are disaggregated by Local Government Areas, are available on our website and social media platforms for public information,” the statement said.
It is instructive to note that a group of voters, under the aegis of Concerned Kogi Youth and Women, submitted the petition for Natasha’s recall as a senator.
In a letter addressed to INEC chairperson, Mahmood Yakubu, members of the group said they had lost confidence in her representation at the National Assembly and, therefore, asked the commission to commence the process of recalling her.
INEC had last week wrote the presiding officers of the Senate and Natasha, informing them of the process.
But controversy has trailed the petition after the promoters claimed that over half of the 400,000 plus voters in the constituency signed the petition.
INEC, as part of the process, was expected to verify each of the over 200,000 signatories.
Incidentally, Section 69 of the 1999 Constitution states that: A member of the Senate or of the House Representatives may be recalled as such a member if –
(a) there is presented to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission a petition in that behalf signed by more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency alleging their loss of confidence in that member; and
(b) the petition is, thereafter, in a referendum conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission within ninety days of the date of receipt of the petition, approved by a simple majority of the votes of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency.
The commission had explained that once a petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in its regulations, it will commence the verification of the signatures in each polling unit in an open process restricted to registered voters that signed the petition only.
INEC also stated that the petitioners, the elected official whose recall is sought, interested observers and the media can also nominate agents who will be accredited to observe the verification process.
It said. “At each Polling Unit, signatories to the petition shall be verified using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“Consequently, if the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of clause 1(f) of the regulations and guidelines regarding the submission of their petition, the commission will announce the next steps in line with the extant laws, regulations and guidelines.
“In the absence of a definite contact address, the commission is making efforts to use other means to notify the representatives of the petitioners of the situation.”
It is important to note that the Senate had on March 6, suspended Natasha for six months, following the recommendations of its ethics, privileges and public petitions committee.
The Senate’s decision was sequel to Natasha’s alleged misconduct during the plenary session of February 20 and her refusal to adhere to its sitting arrangement.
The Senate consequently imposed several penalties on Natasha , including withdrawing all her security aides and closing her office in the National Assembly.
She was also asked to hand over all properties of the Senate in her possession to the Clerk to the National Assembly, while she was also prohibited from entering the premises of the National Assembly during the period of suspension.
The Senate also suspended her salary and allowances and banned her from presenting herself as a senator locally and internationally.
But the Senate said it may consider recalling Natasha if she submits a written apology.
Natasha had alleged that she was being persecuted for accusing the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of alleges sexual harassment.
But Akpabio has vehemently denied the allege sexual harassment, saying that he has never harassed any woman while Natasha has maintained her claims.
She initially submitted a sexual harassment petition against Akpabio to the Senate but it was rejected on the basis that a sitting senator cannot sign a petition.
Few days later, another petition signed by Zubairu Yakubu, who described himself as a concerned Nigerian citizen from the Kogi Central Senatorial District, accused Akpabio of alleged sexual harassment against Natasha. The petitioner also accused the Senate President of abuse of office and obstruction of legislative duties.
On March 11, Natasha took her complaints to global level by taking it to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
She told the IPU at the meeting that her suspension was unlawful and an attempt to silence her for making allegations of sexual harassment against Akpabio .
For the record, no single federal lawmaker has been successfully recalled since 1999 when democratic rule was restored in Nigeria as the aggrieved constituents found it difficult to meet the constitutional requirements.
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