INEC Dismisses Petition to Recall Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Olufemi Orunsola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed the petition seeking to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial district at the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, due to the failure of the petition to meet constitutional requirements.
OTN News reports as gathered that the commission, after verifying the signatures/thumbprints submitted with the petition, discovered that only 43.86% of registered voters supported the recall as against recall requirements of more than 50% threshold mandated by Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Announcing the decision on Thursday following its weekly meeting, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, clarified the legal framework guiding recall processes.
According to him, "A recall petition must comply with the provisions of Section 69(a) of the Constitution, which requires the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the constituency".
Olumekun further provided more details on the verification exercise, saying, “The total number of registered voters in Kogi Central Senatorial District stands at 474,554. To meet the recall requirement, at least 237,278 voters must support the petition.
He further revealed that after the Commission's review, we confirmed only 208,132 valid signatures, which amounts to just 43.86%. This falls short of the required number by 29,146 signatories.”
Due to this shortfall, INEC has decided that “no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator,” in line with the provisions of the law.
Olumekun added that INEC has issued a public notice reflecting its decision, which has also been communicated to the Senate’s presiding officer.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee further stated that “The public notice and a detailed breakdown of the verification process by Local Government Areas have been made available on our website and social media platforms".
Concluding, he assured Nigerians that the commission had handled the matter fairly and transparently.
His words, “First, we ensured that the petitioners met the requirements for submission. Next, we duly notified the Senator facing recall, copied the Senate presiding officer, and made the process public. Finally, we carefully verified the submitted signatures against the legal standard. This exercise is now concluded."
With the recall effort failing to meet constitutional requirements, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will continue to represent Kogi Central in the Senate unless another legally valid petition emerges.
OTN News observes that the decision of the electoral umpire to dismiss the petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduagha is coming after the embattled female senator defied orders of the Kogi state government and the police advisory against her Sallah home coming rally during which she attracted a massive turn out of her constituents.
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