Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan: Constituents Begin Fresh Recall Mobilization

By Ayodele Oni

The last may not have been heard about the move to recall Kogi Senator Natasha Akpoti- uduaghan as ‘voters’ from her constituency insist that there is no going back on the process.

Some residents of Kogi Central Senatorial District vowed never to back down on the process to recall their Senator from the National Assembly. Rather, they insisted that they would fine-tune the process.

INEC had, in a statement on Thursday, said the petition failed to meet the minimum requirement prescribed by the Constitution.

The statement read “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hereby notifies the public that the petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, which was submitted to the Commission on Monday 24h March 2025 by representatives of the petitioners who are registered voters in the constituency, has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

 “Consequently, no further action shall be taken on the petition,”

However, the petitioners, who said they are registered voters of Kogi Central, said that they had mobilised more than the 50 per cent plus one threshold of registered voters and submitted their petition with full documentation.

 The petitioners, in a statement on their behalf by Salihu Habib, said there was no going back on their resolve to recall the senator who is believed by many to enjoy the support of the majority of the members of her constituency.

The petitioners, however, thanked the Independent National Electoral Commission for allegedly validating 208,132 (43.86 per cent) signatures in the petition earlier submitted to it for Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall even though INEC has not said it validated the signatures.

The renewed determination by the concerned constituents is sequel to INEC’s declaration of some defects in the recall petition they had hitherto presented to it. Speculations are strong that allegedly backed by the Kogi State Government, there is a desperation to recall her in order to give the position to the immediate past Governor of the State, Yahaya Bello.

It is to be seen if INEC will fall for this fresh move which has been dismissed by many as a desperate political persecution being sponsored from within and outside Kogi State. Given the crowd that defied all obstacles to receive her on Tuesday, not a few people insist her Constuency think she is doing a good job for them and not eager to recall her. Instead, they say, voters are eager to vote her back to the Senate in 2027.