A Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has issued an interim injunction preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or acting on any recall petition containing fraudulent signatures against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The ruling also prohibits INEC from organizing a referendum based on such a petition until further notice.
The order was granted after an ex parte motion filed by five registered voters from Kogi Central Senatorial District, led by Anebe Jacob Ogirima. Their application, presented by Smart Nwachimere, Esq., from West-Idahosa, SAN & Co., was approved on March 20, 2025.
Presiding over the case (Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/13/2025), Justice Isa H. Dashen ruled:
An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendant (INEC), their staff, agents, privies, or assigns from receiving, accepting, or acting in any way whatsoever on any purported petition submitted by any person or persons containing fictitious signatures and names of purported members of Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The judge also prohibited INEC from conducting any referendum based on such a petition until the Motion on Notice is resolved. The case is scheduled for further mention on May 6, 2025.
The recall attempt has sparked controversy, with reports alleging that a political associate of Senate President Godswill Akpabio is behind the effort. Akpoti-Uduaghan has previously accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, raising speculation about political retaliation.
