INEC Office Receives Petition Submitted Demanding Recall of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received a petition from constituents of Kogi Central demanding the recall of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The petition, submitted by Ms. Charity Ijese on behalf of the constituents, was received at INEC's office in Lokoja on Monday morning and stamped accordingly.

The petition was signed by over 250,000 of the roughly 480,000 registered voters in Kogi Central, meeting INEC's requirement of 50% plus one. In the petition, titled "Constituents' Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence", the constituents invoked their legal right to formally demand the senator's recall from the Nigerian Senate.

“In particular, this petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is brought pursuant to Section 69 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), as well as INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall Petitions.”

The court affirmed that Akpoti-Uduaghan's victory was due to an appeals court decision in October 2024. However, the petitioners said they filed the appeal because they had lost confidence in her representation.