INEC Rejects Petition To Recall Senator Natasha, Declares It Inadequate

The electoral umpire said, "no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator."

By Emmanuel Egobiambu

Senator Natasha had in the wake of a seat dispute with Akpabio accused the lawmaker of sexual harassment. Photo: Facebook@Natasha H Akpoti

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the petition to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has not met the requirements.

In a short statement on Thursday, the electoral commission said the petition to recall Senator Natasha did not meet constitutional requirements.

“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),” INEC wrote on its X handle.

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).

— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) April 3, 2025

In an updated statement, INEC cited Section 69(a) of the Constitution, which stipulates that a petition to recall a senator needs the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the lawmaker’s constituency.

“The total number of registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District is 474,554. More than one-half of this figure (i.e. 50%+1) is 237,277+1, which is at least 237,278 voters,” the statement issued by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee Sam Olumekun read in part.

“Across the 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas and five Local Government Areas that make up the Senatorial District, the Commission ascertained 208,132 signatures/thumbprints from the submission made by the petitioners.”

The development comes weeks after the electoral body rejected the petition to recall the embattled lawmaker, citing missing contact details. The petitioners later submitted the missing item, a fact INEC acknowledged.

But on Thursday, it said the petition did not meet all requirements for the recall of Senator Natasha as enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution.

“Consequently, the petition has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution. Therefore, no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator,” Olumekun said.

Senator Natasha was suspended for breaching Senate rules, prompting some of her constituents to initiate her recall. They claimed the move was to ensure their constituency did not lack representation following the suspension of the 45-year-old senator.

The lawmaker has made headlines in recent months after she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, a claim the Akwa Ibom lawmaker has equally denied.

She was thereafter suspended by the Red Chamber for violation of its rule of conduct.

On Tuesday, Senator Natasha received a rousing welcome by her constituents, despite the Kogi State Government’s ban on rallies and public gatherings. At the ceremony attended by a crowd of supporters in Okehi Local Government Area (LGA) of the North-Central state, she told the gathering that: “Nobody and nothing can stop me from coming home. I’m an Ebira woman; this is my land”.

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INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

PRESS RELEASE

OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW OF SIGNATURES/THUMBPRINTS OF THE PETITIONERS FOR THE RECALL OF THE SENATOR REPRESENTING KOGI CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT

The Commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Thursday 3rd April 2025. Among other issues, the meeting considered and approved the report of its physical count of the signatures/thumbprints forwarded with the petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, in line with Clause 2(b) of the Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.

The Commission had assured Nigerians that it would handle the matter with fairness to the parties involved and in line with the provisions of the law and our Regulations and Guidelines. First, we ensured that the petitioners complied with the requirements for the submission of the petition. Secondly, we notified the member sought to be recalled in writing, copied the presiding officer of the Senate and simultaneously published the notice on our website. Thirdly, we informed Nigerians that the next step would be to carefully ascertain the number of signatures/thumbprints to ensure that the petition complies with the requirement of the law. This exercise has now been completed.

For emphasis, a petition for the recall of a Senator must comply with the provision of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which requires the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the constituency. The total number of registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District is 474,554. More than one-half of this figure (i.e. 50%+1) is 237,277+1 which is at least 237,278 voters.

Across the 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas and five Local Government Areas that make up the Senatorial District, the Commission ascertained 208,132 signatures/thumbprints from the submission made by the petitioners. This translates to 43.86% of the registered voters which falls short of the constitutional requirement by 29,146 signatories.

Consequently, the petition has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution. Therefore, no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator.

In line with the provision of Clause 2(d) of the Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, the Commission has issued a Public Notice to that effect which is also copied to the presiding officer of the Senate.

The Public Notice, along with a summary of the review of the signatures/thumbprints of the petitioners, which are disaggregated by Local Government Areas, are available on our website and social media platforms for public information.

Sam Olumekun mni

National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee

Thursday 3rd April 2025