By Agbeze Ireke Kalu Onuma
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concluded its review of the recall petition against the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District on 3rd April 2025, declaring the effort constitutionally deficient. While the commission’s press release emphasized procedural compliance with the 1999 Constitution and its 2024 Recall Guidelines, the political undercurrents in Kogi State and Nigeria’s broader democratic landscape reveal a calculated effort to manipulate public sentiment and institutional processes. The petition, which required signatures from over half of the constituency’s 474,554 registered voters – a threshold of 237,278 – fell short by 29,146 signatures, with INEC verifying only 208,132.
This outcome, framed by INEC as a strict adherence to legal standards, has been widely criticized as a reflection of systemic bias and political engineering. Critics argue that Nigeria’s recall mechanism, with its unusually high constitutional threshold of 50%+1, is designed to insulate incumbents from accountability. Comparatively, recall processes in democracies like the United States require far lower benchmarks – 12% of turnout in California, for instance – making Nigeria’s standard not just prohibitive but practically unattainable, especially in regions grappling with logistical challenges like biometric verification errors and low literacy rates. A Legal scholar argued that Nigeria’s recall provisions function as a “democratic fig leaf,” creating an illusion of accountability while shielding lawmakers from genuine scrutiny.
Kogi State, the epicenter of this controversy, has a notorious history of electoral malpractice and political violence. The 2019 gubernatorial election, described by observers as a “bloody charade,” saw thugs allegedly sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) invade polling units, destroy ballot materials, and intimidate voters. The 2023 elections fared no better, with civil society groups like Yiaga Africa documenting widespread incidents of underage voting, ballot box snatching, and collusion between INEC staff and political actors.
Against this backdrop, the recall petition against the senator – a member of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and a vocal critic of Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo – raised immediate suspicions. The senator’s calls for probes into alleged corruption, including mismanagement of local government funds and inflated contracts, had positioned them as a formidable adversary to the APC. Local reports revealed that the petition’s sudden emergence coincided with the senator’s escalating conflict with the Senate President and the Senate committee leadership and her increased vocal advocacy, suggesting a politically motivated retaliation. Residents in Okene and Ajaokuta recounted how APC operatives, accompanied by police escorts, coerced constituents into signing the petition under threats of withheld palliatives, echoing tactics previously deployed in Kaduna during Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s clashes with critics.
INEC’s role in this drama has drawn sharp scrutiny. While the commission’s press release touted transparency through the publication of disaggregated data, its reliance on flawed biometric verification systems – disproportionately disqualifying signatures in a region where 30% of voter registrations contain errors, per a 2024 Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) report – exposed institutional complicity. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) criticized INEC’s refusal to implement manual verification for disputed signatures, arguing that “technology should not override democratic intent.” Political analyst and professor of political science and international relations at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Jideofor Adibe likened the exercise to a “magician’s trick,” diverting public attention from the senator’s corruption allegations while creating a spectacle of procedural rigor. The timing further fueled skepticism: the petition was launched weeks after calls for investigation which detractors said was sponsored by the opposition, funded by the Senators party, calling for a forensic audit of N20 billion in questionable state expenditures, a move that threatened to expose high-level graft.
Public reactions to the petition’s collapse have been polarized, reflecting Nigeria’s deep political divisions. In Kogi Central, protests erupted as youth groups blocked highways in Adavi LGA, chanting, “APC, leave our senator alone!” Community leaders accused the ruling party of weaponizing state institutions to silence dissent. Conversely, APC supporters hailed the petition as a “victory for democracy,” though their celebrations rang hollow amid evidence of coercion. Nationally, opposition parties condemned the exercise as wasteful and politically driven. PDP Chairman Umar Damagum denounced it as a “taxpayer-funded circus,” while Labour Party spokesperson Yunusa Tanku accused the APC of “institutionalizing impunity.” Even within the APC, dissent simmered. A party official in Kano, speaking anonymously, admitted the recall effort had “backfired spectacularly,” exposing the party’s desperation.
Amid the uproar, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a prominent figure in Kogi politics, hailed INEC’s decision to reject the recall bid, framing it as a triumph of due process. In a statement covered by *Punch NG*, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who has had her own contentious history with Kogi’s political establishment, mocked the petitioners as “detractors clutching at straws” and praised INEC for “upholding the sanctity of democratic institutions.” Her remarks, however, were met with skepticism. Critics noted the irony of her endorsement, given her past allegations of INEC’s complicity in electoral fraud during her 2019 senatorial bid. Political commentator Ndukwe Nwosu observed, “Natasha’s support for INEC here is less about principle and more about political survival – aligning with the commission’s decision to spite her rivals, even if it contradicts her earlier stance.” This duality underscores the opportunistic nature of Nigerian politics, where alliances and principles shift with the winds of expediency.
Media and civil society reactions further highlighted the erosion of public trust. Editorials in newspapers questioned INEC’s selective rigor, asking why the commission had not audited its own error-ridden voter register before invalidating signatures. Social media erupted with hashtags like #StopTheRecallKogi, with influencers sharing satirical sketches lampooning the APC’s tactics. Meanwhile, pro-APC accounts circulated staged videos of “grateful constituents,” later exposed as featuring paid actors – a testament to the toxic blend of misinformation and political theater. Civil society coalitions, including the Enough is Enough (EiE) group, staged press conferences demanding electoral reforms. Activists declared, “INEC’s complicity in Kogi is a symptom of a broken system that prioritizes power over people.”
The implications of this saga extend beyond Kogi, setting dangerous precedents for Nigeria’s democracy. The APC’s tactics mirror a broader strategy to purge dissent, evidenced by a similar recall petition against an APC-critical senator in Katsina in June 2025. A Constitutional lawyer argues that Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution – a relic of military-era distrust of popular sovereignty – must be amended to lower thresholds and empower citizens. Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince has warned that the INEC’s lack of autonomy from executive influence renders it a “puppet of the powerful,” incapable of delivering credible elections. Public disillusionment is palpable: a February 2025 NOIPolls survey found 68% of Nigerians believe elections no longer reflect the people’s will, a 15% increase from 2023. This cynicism, compounded by economic hardship and insecurity, threatens to deepen voter apathy, further entrenching the dominance of political elites.
To salvage Nigeria’s democracy, stakeholders propose urgent reforms: amending Section 69(a) to lower recall thresholds, establishing an independent body to appoint INEC commissioners, auditing biometric systems to address disenfranchisement, and grassroots campaigns to educate voters on resisting coercion. The Kogi recall fiasco, while a travesty of justice, has galvanized calls for systemic change. The courage of protesters, the tenacity of civil society, and the glaring contradictions of institutions like INEC remind Nigerians that democracy is not a spectator sport. As the late human rights lawyer Bamidele Aturu once declared, it demands relentless vigilance and an unyielding demand for accountability. The road ahead is fraught, but the alternative – a descent into outright authoritarianism – is untenable. The fight for a Nigeria where power truly resides with the people continues, one thwarted recall petition at a time.
Agbeze Ireke Kalu Onuma, AI-KO is a Writer, columnist, storyteller and cultural curator. Connect with him at iagbeze@msn.com http://medium.com/@iagbeze. http://ireke.wordpress.com
