BREAKING: Twist Over Natasha’s Travail As INEC Receives Constituents’ Recall Petition

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) late this Monday morning, March 24, 2025, received the petition from constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

A copy of the submitted petition sighted by News Express indicated that it was signed by over 250,000 out of the 480,000 constituents. This is more than the 50 per cent required to proceed with the recall process.

The submission of the petition comes barely three days after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, set aside an earlier ruling that restrained INEC from receiving the recall process.

The Federal High Court in a landmark judgement delivered in Lokoja on Friday affirmed that the recall process is constitutionally valid and aligns with the civic rights of the constituents.

The court urged the constituents to continue exercising their rights in an orderly and peaceful manner.

The development was after the court on Thursday granted an interim injunction restraining INEC, its staff, agents, privies or assigns from receiving, accepting or acting on any petition containing signatures of members of Kogi Central Senatorial District.

The court also stopped INEC from conducting any referendum upon such petition for the purpose of initiating a re-call process of Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria pending the determination of the Motion on Notice to the same effect.

The court granted the application following an ex-parte application for interim supported by an Affidavit of Extreme urgency together with other court processes sworn to by Anebe Jacob Ogirima for himself and four others who are registered voters and constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District of Kogi State.

Counsel to the applicant, Smart Nwachimere, argued that the recall petitions contained fictitious signatures from purported constituents.

The injunction however restrains INEC, its staff, and agents from receiving or accepting recall petitions with fake signatures and conducting any referendum based on such petitions.

The case was adjourned to May 6, 2025, for further mentioning.

(News Express, excluding headline)