The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled that the petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, does not meet the necessary legal requirements.

INEC announced this decision on Thursday through an update on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle.

The electoral commission stated that the petition failed to fulfill the conditions set under Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Constituents from Kogi Central had submitted the recall petition to INEC last month. The petition was accompanied by six bags filled with documents containing signatures said to have been gathered from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.

These signatures were collected from 902 polling units across the five local government areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene. INEC was expected to verify the signatures before deciding whether the recall process could proceed.

According to INEC regulations, for a recall to move forward, more than half of the registered voters in the senatorial district must sign the petition. If this threshold is met, the commission is required to conduct a referendum within 90 days. However, if the petition does not meet the required number of signatures, INEC must issue a public notice confirming its rejection.

The recall petition stems from ongoing controversies surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from the Senate on March 6 for alleged “gross misconduct” following a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.