The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations of partisanship in its handling of the failed attempt to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television program, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, defended the commission’s actions and explained why the recall petition was rejected.
“In the case of the Kogi Central District, we received a petition and a cover letter, and of course, what Nigerians were saying was that we were taking sides,” Oyekanmi stated. “But what happened was that in the covering letter, the representatives of the petitioners did not include their address as required in our regulations and guidelines, and what we just did was to ask them to supply their address. It has nothing to do with the petition.”
He further emphasized that INEC was not trying to manipulate the process, adding, “And of course, there is nowhere in the law where INEC is asked to reject a petition just because the cover letter did not contain the address. So, there was no hanky-panky in what we did.”
INEC officially rejected the recall petition on Thursday, stating that it did not meet the constitutional requirements necessary to proceed. Under the law, a recall petition must be accompanied by at least 50% plus one of the registered voters’ signatures from the affected constituency.
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The recall effort emerged following Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Senate for allegedly breaching legislative rules. Some constituents argued that her suspension could leave Kogi Central without representation and sought to remove her through the recall process.
When asked whether the recall effort could be repeated, Oyekanmi acknowledged that the law does not specify any limit on the number of times such a process can be initiated. “The law just talks about the threshold, the threshold meaning that if you want to recall, you must have, in addition to your petition, 50 per cent plus one signatures. The law did not specify how many times you can undertake that,” he explained.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has been at the center of political controversy in recent months, particularly after accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment—a claim he has denied. While her supporters argue that the recall attempt is politically motivated, her critics insist it reflects dissatisfaction with her tenure.
With INEC shutting down this recall attempt, the question remains: will her opponents make another bid, or has this chapter of political maneuvering in Kogi Central come to a close?
© Ripples Nigeria
