Key Points

• Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall petition failed because it didn’t have enough signatures.

• The petition was short by 29,146 signatures, falling below the required threshold.

• INEC has decided not to take further action on the recall due to the insufficient signatures.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Thursday that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall petition did not meet the requirements set by the Nigerian Constitution.

The petition, which aimed to recall the senator representing Kogi Central, fell short by 29,146 signatures, preventing the recall process from continuing.

INEC clarified the situation through a tweet, saying, “The petition for the recall of the senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”

Petition Did Not Meet the Constitutional Requirement

According to the Nigerian Constitution, a recall petition needs signatures from more than half of the registered voters in a senator’s district.

In the case of Kogi Central, there are 474,554 registered voters. This means the petition needed at least 237,278 valid signatures, or 50%+1 of the voters.

However, the petitioners only managed to collect 208,132 signatures and thumbprints, which is about 43.86% of the registered voters. This falls short of the necessary number by 29,146 signatories.

INEC conducted a detailed count of the signatures submitted by the petitioners. The signatures were collected from the 902 polling units in the five local government areas of Kogi Central.

After the review, INEC confirmed that the petition did not meet the legal requirements, meaning the recall process cannot move forward.

No Further Action Will Be Taken

As a result, INEC decided to stop the recall process. The Commission issued a public notice to inform the public and provided a detailed summary of its findings, which is available on their website and social media.

The notice explains the review of the signatures and includes information about the areas where the signatures were collected.

INEC also emphasized that it followed all legal steps in handling the petition. It made sure the petitioners met the requirements for submission, notified Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate, and carefully checked the signatures to ensure everything was in order.