The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received a petition seeking the recall of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate, following a Federal High Court ruling vacating an earlier order that restrained the commission from accepting such petitions.
A group of registered voters from Kogi Central Senatorial District, under the umbrella of Concerned Kogi Youth and Women, submitted the petition at INEC headquarters in Abuja on Monday. The lead petitioner, Salihu Habib, said the signatories had lost confidence in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s representation and urged the electoral body to act swiftly.
The petitioners cited gross misconduct, abuse of office, and disregard for Senate rules as reasons for the recall. They claimed that the petition was backed by over half of the registered voters in Kogi Central and demanded that INEC initiate the constitutional recall process immediately.
The petition comes amid the senator’s ongoing dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which escalated from disagreements over seating arrangements to allegations of sexual harassment. While Akpabio denied the accusations, Akpoti-Uduaghan was handed a six-month suspension for what the Senate leadership described as misconduct unrelated to the allegations.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Lokoja on Monday lifted the ex-parte injunction it had earlier granted on March 20, which had barred INEC from receiving any recall petition against Akpoti-Uduaghan. Justice Isa Dashen, who vacated the order, also directed an accelerated hearing of the case.
INEC’s counsel, Abdullahi Aliyu (SAN), had argued that the commission could not be legally restrained from performing its constitutional duties. In response, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, West Idahosa (SAN), contended that the recall process was tainted by allegations of forgery. However, Justice Dashen ruled in favour of INEC, allowing the recall process to proceed, with a hearing scheduled for April 9.
Speaking after submitting the petition, Habib expressed confidence that the process would succeed, dismissing claims that former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello was behind the move. “This will be the first successful recall in Nigeria. The people of Kogi Central have spoken with one voice,” he said.
Mrs Charity Omole, another petitioner, said the district could not afford to be unrepresented in the Senate for six months. “We need a senator who truly represents us,” she said, urging INEC to follow due process.
INEC’s secretary, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, who received the petition, assured the group that the commission would act according to the law.
In a related development, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has denied reports that she apologised to the senate following the controversy that led to her suspension.
In a statement on Monday, the senator said she was facing “coordinated efforts to suppress her voice” within the national assembly.
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