INEC should have dismissed recall petition sooner — Natasha

Speaking in an interview today, the senator stated that INEC should have dismissed the petition much earlier than its decision on April 3, 2025.

“I’m a lawyer, a senator, and I understand how Nigeria operates. The key takeaway for me is that this recall process has been halted.

“I give credit to INEC, though I believe they should have discarded it from the outset.

“I consider it void from the beginning because there is no provision in the Electoral Act that mandates dismissing a petition solely due to a missing address. However, what if the address provided is false?” she questioned.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader argued that many addresses in the petition were inaccurate, noting that most homes in her district lack proper labeling.

“Even though INEC counted 208,000 signatures, I doubt they would have verified even 500 if they proceeded to the authentication stage,” she added.

Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor Usman Ododo, and former governor Yahaya Bello of orchestrating the failed recall attempt.

In its official statement today, INEC ruled that the petition did not meet the requirements of Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“As such, no further action will be taken regarding the senator’s recall,” INEC stated.

INEC spokesperson Rotimi Oyekanmi, also reaffirmed that the petition failed to satisfy the recall process, emphasizing that the commission remained impartial and professional throughout.

Earlier, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, accused the Kogi State Government of orchestrating the recall through Charity Omole, an aide to Governor Ododo.

On March 24, 2025, Omole led a group of Kogi Central constituents to submit the recall petition to INEC.

Akpoti-Uduaghan has been at odds with Senate President Akpabio over a seating arrangement dispute and has accused him of sexual harassment and abuse of office. Following these allegations, the Senate suspended her for six months for misconduct.