A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja has approved an application for substituted service of hearing notices on two petitioners involved in the ongoing recall case against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Justice Isa Dashen granted the ex parte application on Thursday, following a request by the plaintiffs’ counsel, Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN.
The case stems from a suit filed on March 20 by five plaintiffs—Anebe Jacob-Ogirima, John Adebisi, Musa Siyaka-Adeiza, Ahmed Usman, and Maleek Yahaya—who secured an ex parte motion that temporarily barred INEC from accepting any recall petition targeting Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
However, on March 24, the same court reversed that order after INEC contested it by filing a motion, stating that “no person or institution could prevent it from fulfilling its constitutional duties.”
That same day, several constituents from Kogi Central submitted a formal recall petition against the senator, citing allegations of misconduct during her time in the National Assembly.
INEC, however, later ruled the petition “incompetent and null.”
Despite the electoral body’s stance, the plaintiffs pursued their case and named two more individuals—Salihu Habib and Charity Omole—as defendants, accusing them of being among the signatories to the recall petition.
During Thursday’s hearing, West-Idahosa, represented by Smart Nwachimere, explained to the court that efforts to serve Habib and Omole with the originating summons and hearing notices had been unsuccessful.
He revealed, “the duo were among those who signed the petition against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
In response, Justice Dashen approved the plaintiffs’ request to serve the documents through substituted means.
