A petition to recall Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended Nigerian senator representing Kogi Central, has ignited a debate about Nigeria’s recall rules, and whether they’re being used fairly.
A group of constituents recently submitted a petition to INEC, claiming Akpoti-Uduaghan no longer represents their interests.
“We have come to recall her so that we can have a representative in the senate. We are here to tell INEC to please follow the constitutional process for a recall so that a recall process can begin,” said Charity Omole, a spokesperson for the petitioners.
“We are the ones that voted for her, and we don’t want her anymore because we cannot afford not to have a representative. Nobody is bankrolling us. Nobody has any personal issue with her. It is just what it is. The game is the game,” she added.
But the numbers don’t add up
Registered Voters in Kogi Central: 488,000
Signatures Submitted: Initially 250,000 (later revised to 474,554)
Constitutional Requirement: Over 50% of registered voters (roughly 244,000+) must sign.
But there’s a twist. Only 106,000 people voted in the 2023 election that put Akpoti-Uduaghan in office. Now, the question many are asking is: How can a recall need more signatures than the actual election votes?
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Why this recall might fail
Here is what Nigeria’s constitutional requirements for a recall:
- 50%+ of registered voters must sign the petition.
- INEC must verify the signatures.
- A referendum must then be held, with 50%+ turnout to remove the senator.
Is there a precedence? In 2017, an attempt to recall Dino Melaye showed how hard it is to recall a senator in Nigeria. Legal hurdles and low turnout often kill the process.
The backstory
The recall process follows a series of events, starting from when the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, refused to grant Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan an audience to speak during plenary session because she refused to speak from the new seat allocated to her, which is the House standard rule.
These followed the seat drama:
- Natasha accused Akpabio of sexual harassment (which he denied).
- She was suspended for 6 months, officially over the seating dispute, but many believe it was because of the sexual a harassment allegation.
- She claims the recall is “political suppression” and not a genuine grassroots move.
What happens next?
- INEC initially said petitioners didn’t provide contact details, raising doubts. But the electoral Commission later confirmed that the contact details have now been provided.
- Akpoti-Uduaghan may challenge the process in court.
- History isn’t on petitioners’ side. No Nigerian lawmaker has ever been successfully recalled.
The bigger issue
If recalls rely on registered voters (not actual voters), could politicians exploit low turnout to push out rivals?
For now, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan remains suspended, and her recall faces an uphill battle.
