• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • Engr Abba Babagana Dalori

      Engr Dalori Forfeits Galaxy Hospital, Petrol Station, Properties & Cash

      Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

      EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences…

      PRNigeria logo fearured image

      EFCC Arraigns Ex-Convict, Other for Naira Abuse in Lagos

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • Comptroller General Nigerian Customs Bashir Adewale

      Customs Moves Against 223 Importers in N379bn Permit Breach

      Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

      How Customs is Tightening Borders to Stop Illicit Cash Flows –…

      Customs boss, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi with NAFDAC DG Professor Moji Adeyeye

      Codeine, Tramadol Worth ₦20.5bn Seized as Customs-NAFDAC Cooperation Deepens

      Acting Controller General of Customs, Nigerian Customs Services, NSC, Ag. CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

      Adeniyi Inaugurates Lagos School Renovated by Nigeria Customs 

      Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada

      Customs’ Maiwada Named Among Nigeria’s 50 Most Influential PR Voices

  • National
    • NYSC Corps Members in Camp

      Tinubu to Honours 210 Ex-NYSC Members for Meritorious Services

      PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship 2025 logo

      PRNigeria Opens Application for 2025 Young Communication Fellowship

      NDLEA officials

      NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids 

      Delegates of IEDPU praises CP Moshood Jimoh

      IEDPU Praises CP Moshood Jimoh of Lagos Police for Exemplary Leadership

      Troops Repel Boko Haram Attack in Gwoza, Recover Firearms

    • Government
      • NYSC Corps Members in Camp

        Tinubu to Honours 210 Ex-NYSC Members for Meritorious Services

        court Judiciary

        Court Remands TikToker Arrested by DSS for claiming President Tinubu died

        Leon Usigbe

        Tinubu Mourns Veteran State House Correspondent, Leon Usigbe

        Dr. Ibrahim Bello, Emir of Gusau

        Tinubu, NUJ, Police, and Military Mourn the Death of Gusau Emir

        Dr. Ibrahim Bello Emir of Gusau

        His Death is a National Loss – Tinubu Mourns Emir of…

  • Security
    • NDLEA officials

      NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids 

      Delegates of IEDPU praises CP Moshood Jimoh

      IEDPU Praises CP Moshood Jimoh of Lagos Police for Exemplary Leadership

      Troops Repel Boko Haram Attack in Gwoza, Recover Firearms

      Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA

      Troops Kill Three Terrorist Leaders in Sokoto Ambush, Recover Weapons

      Nigerian Navy Personnel

      Navy Arrests 9 Impostors Operating as Fake Coast Guards in Akwa…

  • Features
    • Leon Usigbe

      Death, you can’t be Proud of this By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem 

      Tinubu’s Plateau Gambit – Yilwatda, 2027, and the Return of the…

      Ozumi and a recipient of a wheelchair

      Wheels of Hope: How a Simple Gift is Reshaping Lives at…

      Late Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and Mansur Liman

      “Buhari: A Blunt, Honest Leader Who Laughed at His Own Predicament”

      Intelligence Synergy: Reshaping Nigeria’s Security Architecture, By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

  • State
    • NDLEA officials

      NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids 

      Delegates of IEDPU praises CP Moshood Jimoh

      IEDPU Praises CP Moshood Jimoh of Lagos Police for Exemplary Leadership

      Troops Repel Boko Haram Attack in Gwoza, Recover Firearms

      Nigerian Navy Personnel

      Navy Arrests 9 Impostors Operating as Fake Coast Guards in Akwa…

      Lt. Col (Mrs) Onyechi Appolonia Anele, FSS, anipr

      Army Dismisses Allegations of Delayed Promotions, Stagnant Allowances

  • Event
    • Cross section of participants and guests at the Kaduna State Chapter world PR day

      Kaduna NIPR Urges Students to Embrace Evolving PR Landscape

      Engr. Saleeman Adedoyin Saleeman

      Global IT Leader Saleeman Adedoyin Launches Free Summer School in Ilorin…

      Celestine Achi, AI in PR specialist

      BOOK REVIEW: AI is Reshaping PR—Celestine Achi Shows Us How

      Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sleeping Prince’ Dies Weeks After PRNigeria Debunked Viral Recovery…

      Young Muhammadu Buhari jnr

      A Young Buhari’s Poetic Tribute to a Leader By Yushau A….

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home Features What you Need to Know About Recalling a Lawmaker in Nigeria
  • Features

What you Need to Know About Recalling a Lawmaker in Nigeria

By
Nafisat Bello
-
March 28, 2025

What you Need to Know About Recalling a Lawmaker in Nigeria

By Nafisat Bello

Recall in Nigeria is a constitutional activity that allows citizens to hold their elected representatives accountable. It is a process through which a validly elected lawmaker may be removed from his/her seat in the Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly. It’s a process of voting where the electorate decides via a referendum (a yes or no vote) whether they want the lawmaker to remain for the rest of his/her term or whether he/she should be returned home. Hence, the process of recalling is contained in section 69 the 1999 Nigerian constitution.

Due to the crisis which led to the suspension of one of the four women in the Senate, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from office for 6 months, there have been conversations around recalling the Senator with the submission of the petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which was done on the 24th of March 2025. However, concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of the recall effort, with allegations of deceptive tactics in collecting signatures.

Meanwhile, what is the appropriate recall process according to the law of the land?

Unlike executives who the legislature can impeach, the only constitutional means of removing a National Assembly or state lawmaker in Nigeria is through the recall process. Sections 69 and 110 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, outline the recall procedures for members of the Senate, House of Representatives, and State Houses of Assembly.

Although the recall serves as an accountability mechanism for legislators, the sole basis for initiating a recall under the Constitution is a loss of confidence by the member’s constituents.

Stage One: Petition

The process of recall starts once the chairman of INEC receives a petition signed by more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that constituency alleging their loss of confidence in the lawmaker. The petition must be signed and arranged according to polling units, wards, Local Government Areas and Constituency.

Stage Two: Verification

If the petition is valid, the commission will proceed to;
1. Notify the Senator sought to be recalled, stating that it has received a petition for the recall.
2. Then, issue a public announcement stating the date, time and location of the verification
3. Verify the signatures to the petition. The signatories must be individuals who appear on the electoral voter’s registers
4. Write to the petitioners stating that the minimum requirement for a referendum was not met if the number verified is less than one-half of the registered voters in that constituency. The petition will therefore be dismissed.

Stage Three: Referendum

Read Also:

  • PRNigeria Opens Application for 2025 Young Communication Fellowship
  • NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids 
  • IEDPU Praises CP Moshood Jimoh of Lagos Police for Exemplary Leadership

If the minimum requirements for a referendum are met, the INEC must then conduct a referendum within 90 days of the receipt of the petition. The referendum will be a simple yes or no vote on whether the lawmaker should be recalled, and will be decided by simple majority of the votes of the persons registered to vote in that constituency.

If a referendum is carried out and the voters in that constituency vote to recall the lawmaker, then the Chairman of the INEC is obliged to send a Certificate of Recall to the Senate President or Speaker of the House, as the case may be, and the affected person ceases to be a lawmaker.

Obviously, the process for recalling a legislator seems a bit complex and by design needs a lot of organisation and mass mobilisation. And despite being enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, no recall process has ever been successful due to the high threshold of voter participation required.

Records of Unsuccessful Recall Processes

The first recorded attempt to recall a legislator in Nigeria occurred in 2000 when the constituents of Hon. Mark Okoye, who represented Njikoka-2 Federal Constituency in Anambra state, in the House of Representatives, initiated the process. However, after legal battles between Okoye and INEC, the recall ultimately failed due to low voter turnout in the referendum.

Next was Simon Lalong, the then Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly and now a former governor of the state. As a representative of Shendam Constituency, his constituents initiated a recall process, which he tried to stop by filing a lawsuit, arguing that the signatures collected for his recall were not genuine and authentic. Although, the legal hurdles were eventually cleared, the process failed due to an insufficient number of voters participating in the referendum.

Similarly, Farouk Aliyu, then a member representing Birnin-Kudu/Buji Federal Constituency of Jigawa State in the House of Representatives, also faced a recall attempt, but the process stalled as fewer than the required number of voters turned out for the referendum.

Again, another recall process was initiated against Late Arc. Umar Buba Jibrin, who represented Lokoja/Kogi/Koton Karfe Federal Constituency. However, this attempt was mired in controversy, as some constituents filed a counter-petition to INEC, alleging that their signatures were forged and that they had not consented to the recall.

Also in 2017, INEC received a petition to recall the then Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, but unfortunately it was not passed.

Last Line

While constitutionally enshrined as a mechanism for holding legislators accountable, the recall process remains a highly challenging and rarely successful endeavour in Nigeria.

In an environment where the electoral process faces interference, the recall process can also be used as a tool of coercion. The ongoing attempt to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan reinforces both the significance and the difficulties associated with this democratic tool.

Given the stringent requirements, the recall effort in Kogi Central will serve as a critical test of the feasibility of legislative recalls in Nigeria’s political landscape. Whether or not the recall succeeds, it brings renewed attention to legislative accountability in Nigeria.

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Godswill Akpabio
  • INEC
  • Kogi Central
  • Natasha Akpoti
  • senate
Previous articleKOGI PRISON BREAK: Minister Blames Warders for Security Lapse at Custodial Centre
Next articleNIPR Inducts 515 Members, Restates Commitment to Leadership Building
Nafisat Bello
Nafisat Bello

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship 2025 logo

PRNigeria Opens Application for 2025 Young Communication Fellowship

Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA

Troops Kill Three Terrorist Leaders in Sokoto Ambush, Recover Weapons

Leon Usigbe

Death, you can’t be Proud of this By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem 

Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

How Customs is Tightening Borders to Stop Illicit Cash Flows – CG Adeniyi 

FACT-CHECK: Did a N10bn Lafia Flyover Collapse Three Weeks After Commissioning in Nasarawa?

Tinubu’s Plateau Gambit – Yilwatda, 2027, and the Return of the Machiavellian Strategist By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

NAF combat-ready Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators

NAF Bolsters Battlespace Dominance with New Combat-Ready UAV Operators

PHOTOS: How Nigerian Military’s Coordinated Air and Ground Assault Crushed Terrorists in Warari Operation

Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)

NYSC Seeks Stakeholder Support to Enhance Orientation Exercises

Late President Muhammadu Buhari

Walson-Jack: Buhari Was a Pillar of Integrity in Nigeria’s Public Sector

CDS Musa

CDS Hails ‘Produce for Lagos’ as Blueprint for National Security

Military Troops in Action

Nigerian Troops Neutralize Over 100 Bandits in Decisive Warari Operation

Recent Posts

  • Tinubu to Honours 210 Ex-NYSC Members for Meritorious Services
  • PRNigeria Opens Application for 2025 Young Communication Fellowship
  • NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids 
  • IEDPU Praises CP Moshood Jimoh of Lagos Police for Exemplary Leadership
  • Troops Repel Boko Haram Attack in Gwoza, Recover Firearms
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
Tinubu to Honours 210 Ex-NYSC Members for Meritorious ServicesPRNigeria Opens Application for 2025 Young Communication FellowshipNDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids IEDPU Praises CP Moshood Jimoh of Lagos Police for Exemplary LeadershipTroops Repel Boko Haram Attack in Gwoza, Recover FirearmsTroops Kill Three Terrorist Leaders in Sokoto Ambush, Recover WeaponsNavy Arrests 9 Impostors Operating as Fake Coast Guards in Akwa IbomArmy Dismisses Allegations of Delayed Promotions, Stagnant AllowancesCourt Remands TikToker Arrested by DSS for claiming President Tinubu diedDeath, you can’t be Proud of this By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem Tinubu Mourns Veteran State House Correspondent, Leon UsigbePolice Arrest 22 Cultists in OgunEnugu Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideout, Nab 25 Militants, Recover FirearmsTroops Eliminate Notorious Bandit Kingpin ‘Dan Dari Biyar’ in Sokoto OperationTinubu, NUJ, Police, and Military Mourn the Death of Gusau Emir
X whatsapp