The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially received a petition seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
This petition, which was submitted on Monday, was accepted by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, The PUNCH reports. Interestingly, this development comes after a Federal High Court in Lokoja overturned an earlier ruling that had blocked INEC from accepting the recall petition.
On Friday, March 21, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that a Federal High Court in Lokoja had granted an interim injunction restraining INEC from receiving, accepting, or acting on any petition containing allegedly fictitious signatures from members of Kogi Central Senatorial District seeking to recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The ruling, delivered on Thursday in suit number FHC/LKJ/CS/13/2025, stemmed from an ex parte application for an interim injunction filed by Anebe Jacob Ogirima and four other registered voters from Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The application, supported by an affidavit of extreme urgency and other legal documents, was presented by Smart Nwachimere, Esq. of West-Idahosa, SAN & Co.
The plaintiffs requested an interim injunction to prevent INEC and its representatives from processing or acting on any petition allegedly containing falsified signatures aimed at recalling Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The court granted the request, pending the outcome of a Motion on Notice seeking a similar order.
Presiding over the case, Justice Isa H. Dashen ruled: “That an interim injunction is granted restraining the defendant, their staff, agents, privies, or assigns from receiving, accepting, or acting in any way whatsoever on any purported petitions submitted to the defendant by any person or persons whatsoever, containing fictitious signatures and names of purported members of Kogi Central Senatorial District and conducting any referendum whatsoever upon such petition for the purpose of initiating a recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as Senator representing the said senatorial district in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
The court also directed that INEC be served with the enrolled order along with the Motion on Notice, pending the resolution of the substantive suit.
The case was adjourned to May 6, 2025, for a report on service and further proceedings.
The recent move to recall the senator stemmed from growing political tension in Kogi Central. Efforts to initiate her recall emerged following allegations that some political figures were sponsoring petitions containing falsified signatures to undermine her position.
The petitioners claim that the signatures used to support the recall effort are fake and politically motivated.
SaharaReporters reported last Wednesday that a fresh wave of political manipulation had hit Kogi State after politicians loyal to former Governor Yahaya Bello were caught deceiving residents with a sham empowerment programme to extract their signatures and voter details for the ongoing recall process against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Multiple videos obtained by SaharaReporters confirm that unsuspecting residents were lured in with the promise of financial aid and support, only to be tricked into unknowingly endorsing the recall campaign against the embattled senator.
In one of the videos, a resident can be heard exposing the fraudulent scheme, saying, “We are not here for the recall process of Natasha. We are here for an empowerment. And we were given instructions to come with our voter cards. They told us to come here for empowerment with our voter cards.”
Another resident, who identified herself as Mrs. Joseph, described the process as a scam.
“I call the recall process a mess. Nobody was aware of it at all. These people deceived them with the promise of empowerment. It was only when we arrived that many of us realised this was not normal,” the resident said.
She added: “People started leaving. I see it as a fraud, and they are doing something the people do not support. I myself do not support it, and the majority of people in this local government are against it.”
They accused people loyal to Yahaya Bello of being behind the deception.
The senator was suspended after accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.
