Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, has announced that a petition seeking the recall of the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has failed because it did not meet the required number of signatures.
In a press release issued on Thursday, INEC stated that a review of the signatures submitted by the petitioners found only 208,132 valid signatures or thumbprints. This represents 43.86% of the registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District, falling short of the constitutional requirement of more than half.
According to Section 69(a) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, a recall petition needs the support of more than one-half of the registered voters in the constituency. INEC confirmed that the total number of registered voters in Kogi Central is 474,554, meaning at least 237,278 signatures were needed. The shortfall was 29,146.
INEC emphasized that it had followed due process, including notifying the senator in question and publishing information on its website. As the petition did not meet the constitutional threshold, the electoral body stated that no further action would be taken on the recall process.
The commission has published a public notice and a breakdown of the signature review by local government area on its website and social media platforms.
This development brings to an end the attempt to remove the Kogi Central Senator from office. It highlights the stringent legal requirements in Nigeria for initiating a recall process against elected officials.
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