JUST-IN: INEC Receives Petition To Recall Natasha From Senate

A group of registered voters from the Kogi Central Senatorial District of Kogi State has submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking the recall of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The petition, dated March 21, 2025, was formally received by the office of INEC’s Chairman on Monday, March 24, 2025.

Charity Ijoshe Omole, the leader of the group “Concerned Kogi Youth and Women,” who submitted the petition at INEC headquarters in Abuja, stated that the group had lost confidence in Akpoti-Uduaghan due to what they described as her gross misconduct, which led to her suspension from the Senate. They also expressed concerns about Kogi Central being unrepresented in the National Assembly.

“We have lost confidence in her because of her gross misconduct that led to her suspension in the Senate and we, the people of Kogi Central, are not being represented. We cannot afford to be unrepresented,” Omole stated. “This petition is from Concerned Kogi Youth and Women. We, the people of Kogi Central, voted for her, and now we are here to recall her. We have 488,000 registered voters, and more than 250,000 voters have signed the petition for her recall.”

The petition, addressed to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, is titled, “Constituents Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence.” It reads in part: “We, the undersigned being duly registered voters of the Kogi Central Senatorial District, hereby invoke our rights under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to formally demand the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Nigerian Senate.”

The petition goes on to state that Akpoti-Uduaghan was affirmed as the winner of the February 25, 2023, Kogi Central Senatorial election by the Court of Appeal on October 31, 2023. It cites her “gross misconduct, abuse of office, evasion of due process, and deceitful behavior,” which they believe have embarrassed the people of Kogi Central and tarnished the integrity of the Nigerian Senate and the country’s democratic institutions.

In response, Esther Chibuikem, the Assistant Director of Publicity in INEC’s Department of Voter Education and Publicity, confirmed that the Commission was reviewing the petition. “The Commission is meeting on the Kogi recall process now. Committee room, 22nd Floor, INEC Headquarters,” Chibuikem noted.

This development marks the beginning of the official process for considering the recall petition, and it remains to be seen how INEC will proceed with the case in accordance with Nigeria’s electoral laws.