The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a press release addressing a petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District. The petition, backed by over 250,000 signatures—surpassing the total votes cast in her 2023 election—has sparked widespread debate, with allegations of political manipulation swirling amid her recent suspension from the Senate following claims of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The recall effort, which has seen protests in Okene by youth and women’s groups accusing former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello of orchestrating the move. INEC’s statement, released on March 25, 2025, outlines the procedural steps and legal framework for the recall process, while addressing concerns over the petition’s compliance with regulations, setting the stage for a contentious verification process.
The Press Release
INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION
PRESS RELEASE
PETITION FOR THE RECALL OF THE SENATOR REPRESENTING KOGI CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT
The Commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Tuesday 25th March 2025. Among other issues, the meeting discussed the petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The process of recall is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 as well as the Commission’s detailed Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, available on our website. All petitions will be treated in strict compliance with the legal framework.
The petition from Kogi Central Senatorial District was accompanied by six bags of documents said to be signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene.
The Commission’s immediate observation is that the representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter forwarding the petition through which they can be contacted as provided in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines. The address given is “Okene, Kogi State”, which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of “the lead petitioner” is provided as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners.
The Commission wishes to reiterate that the recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them. Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in our regulations, the Commission shall commence the verification of the signatures in each Polling Unit in an open process restricted to registered voters that signed the petition only. The petitioners and the member whose recall is sought shall be at liberty to nominate agents to observe the verification, while interested observers and the media will also be accredited. At each Polling Unit, signatories to the petition shall be verified using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Consequently, if the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines regarding the submission of their petition, the Commission will announce the next steps in line with the extant laws, regulations and guidelines. In the absence of a definite contact address, the Commission is making efforts to use other means to notify the representatives of the petitioners of the situation.
The Commission reassures the public that it will be guided by the legal framework for recall. The public should therefore discountenance any speculations and insinuations in the social media.
Sam Olumekun mni
National Commissioner & Chairman
Information and Voter Education Committee
Tuesday 25th March 2025
Future Outlook
As the recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continues, the matter is still a stern test for Nigeria’s democratic processes and the integrity of its electoral agency, INEC. With allegations of political interference, questions regarding the validity of over 250,000 signatures, and the history of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension following her altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the coming weeks will reveal the true motive of this petition. Regardless of whether this is an accurate measure of discontent among constituents or a political ploy to silence an opposition senator, the outcome will have profound resonance for Kogi Central and politics in Nigeria as a whole.
