The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the petition seeking to recall Natasha Akpoti-Uduahan, senator representing Kogi central, failed to meet the constitutional threshold.
In a statement on Thursday, INEC cited section 69(a) of the 1999 constitution (as amended), which outlines the conditions for recalling a lawmaker, noting that the petition failed to fulfil these requirements.
“The petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi central senatorial district, has NOT met the requirement of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended),” the statement signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, secretary to the commission, reads.
“The petition was signed by 208,132 out of 474,554 registered voters in the constituency. This represents 43.86% as against the constitutional requirement of at least 50%+1 persons registered to vote in the constituency.”
The commission said it will take no further action on the recall process.
“NO FURTHER ACTION shall be taken on the petition,” it said.
“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).”
BACKSTORY
On March 24, some members of Kogi central constituency submitted a petition to INEC requesting the recall of Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing the district.
Charity Omole, a representative of the constituents, said they submitted the petition to recall the senator because the constituency cannot afford not to have a representative in the senate following her suspension.
“We have come to recall her so that we can have a representative in the senate. We are here to tell lNEC to please follow the constitutional process for a recall so that a recall process can begin,” Omole said.
“We submitted the petition and it has been received. All other documents have been received.
“We are the ones that voted her and we don’t want her anymore because we cannot afford not to have a representative. Nobody is bankrolling us. Nobody is having any personal issue with her. It is just what it is. The game is the game.”
The representative said there are 488,000 registered voters in Kogi central, out of which more than 250,000 have signed the recall petition.
INEC, however, said the petitioners did not provide their contact details.
On March 26, INEC said it had notified Akpoti-Uduaghan about the petition by constituents seeking her recall from the national assembly.
INEC said it had also received the contact details of the petitioners.
Speaking at her homecoming rally on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the electoral body of bias in her recall.
“What I see INEC doing is aiding and guiding petitioners on how to perfect their illicit acts,” she said.
“The first time the petition was submitted, they didn’t have address and phone numbers, so INEC went out to guide them on how to submit information that will perfect their petition.
“And what did they do? The petitioners, who were from the other party, the APC, submitted a letterhead. What was the name of it? Kogi Central Political Frontier. And the address there was number 4, Oboroke.”
TheCable
