Justice Isa H. Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has issued an interim injunction preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its representatives from accepting or acting on any petition that includes signatures from purported members of the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
This ruling was made in relation to suit number FHC/LKJ/CS/13/2025, which concerns the proposed recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The injunction was granted following an urgent ex parte application filed by Anebe Jacob Ogirima, representing himself and four other constituents who are registered voters in the district. The legal team, led by Smart Nwachimere, Esq., successfully argued for the order on March 20, 2025.
In his ruling, Justice Dashen detailed the terms of the injunction, which explicitly prohibits INEC from conducting any referendum based on the disputed petition until the matter is resolved in court.
“Upon this Motion Ex-parte dated March 19, 2025, and filed on March 20, 2025, in the Registry of this Honourable Court, praying the Court for the following reliefs:
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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 order also restrains INEC from conducting any referendum upon such a petition for the purpose of initiating a recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
The order was prompted by concerns that some constituents, allegedly backed by political opponents of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, were attempting to initiate the recall process. This effort followed recent allegations made by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding sexual harassment.
The court set a return date for May 6, 2025, to review the service of the injunction and for further proceedings on the matter.
