The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the recall petition against the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District. In its decision following a review of the signatures and thumbprints submitted, the electoral body confirmed that the petition did not meet the constitutional requirement to proceed.
INEC, in a statement released on Thursday, April 3, 2025, said it conducted a physical count of the signatures/thumbprints attached to the recall petition. According to the commission, a valid recall petition must be supported by more than half of the registered voters in the senatorial district. For Kogi Central, which has a total of 474,554 registered voters, this means at least 237,278 valid signatures were required.
However, INEC’s verification revealed that only 208,132 signatures were submitted, representing 43.86% of the registered voters in the district. This figure fell short of the required number by 29,146 signatures. As a result, the commission announced that it would take no further action on the recall process.
In the statement signed by National Commissioner and Chairman of Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, INEC emphasized that it followed due process in handling the petition. It first ensured that the petition met the submission requirements before notifying the senator in question, the presiding officer of the Senate, and publishing the notice on its website. The next step was to carefully verify the number of submitted signatures to confirm compliance with the law.
Since the petition failed to meet the threshold set by Section 69(a) of the Nigerian Constitution, INEC declared that the recall process would not move forward. The commission has also issued a public notice to that effect, which has been shared with the presiding officer of the Senate.
The review of the signatures was conducted across 902 polling units in 57 registration areas and five local government areas within the Kogi Central Senatorial District. The detailed breakdown of the findings, including the number of verified signatures per local government area, has been made available on INEC’s website and social media platforms.
Related: INEC Receives Petition to Recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
INEC reassured Nigerians that it handled the matter fairly and in strict compliance with the law. The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency in electoral processes, stating that every step taken in the recall petition was in line with its Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
