A Federal High Court in Lokoja has issued an interim injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from receiving, processing, or acting on any petition seeking to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate.
The ruling, delivered on March 20, 2025, bars INEC from conducting a referendum based on petitions allegedly containing fictitious signatures of supposed constituents from Kogi Central Senatorial District. The court’s decision stands pending the determination of a substantive Motion on Notice.
The case was brought before the court by Anebe Jacob Ogirima and four other registered voters from Kogi Central, who argued that the recall effort was fraudulent. Their legal representation, Smart Nwachimere, Esq. of West-Idahosa, SAN & Co., successfully moved the application for the interim order.
The matter has been adjourned until May 6, 2025, for further mention and a report on the service of court processes. The ruling marks a significant turn in the ongoing political dispute surrounding Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s tenure.
