Abuja – Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, has confirmed it has received a formal petition seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The senator, representing Kogi Central, is currently suspended from the Senate over alleged breaches of its rules.
The petition, submitted to INEC on Monday and received by the Commission Secretary, reportedly contains the signatures of over 250,000 constituents. This figure represents more than half of the approximately 480,000 registered voters in the Kogi Central senatorial district.
Grounds for Recall
The petition, titled “Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence,” cites “gross misconduct, abuse of office, evasion of due process, and a pattern of deceitful behaviour” as reasons for the recall demand.
The petitioners invoke Section 69 of the 1999 Constitution and INEC’s regulations, demanding that the electoral commission immediately begin the process to remove Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from office and declare her seat vacant.
Next Steps for INEC
INEC is now expected to review the petition to ensure it meets the constitutional requirements for initiating a recall process. This typically involves verifying the authenticity of the signatures and confirming that they represent the required threshold of registered voters.
If the petition is deemed valid, INEC would then proceed to conduct a recall referendum in the Kogi Central senatorial district. A successful recall requires a simple majority of registered voters in the constituency to vote in favour of removing the senator.
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