By Balarabe Oshiafi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over the recall petition against suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, citing missing contact details of the petitioners.
In a statement on Tuesday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, confirmed that the commission received six bags of documents containing signatures from more than half of the district’s 474,554 registered voters.
However, the petitioners failed to include essential contact details such as addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, as required under INEC’s 2024 Recall Regulations and Guidelines.
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The petition, submitted on Monday by Charity Ijese on behalf of constituents and received by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, included only the lead petitioner’s phone number.
Additionally, the provided address—“Okene, Kogi State”—was deemed too vague under INEC regulations.
The commission highlighted that the recall petition covers voters across five local government areas—Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene—spanning 902 polling units in 57 registration areas. INEC reiterated that the recall process is guided by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and its own regulations, and will only proceed if all legal requirements are met.
If validated, the next step would involve verifying the collected signatures using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
Only registered voters who signed the petition will participate, and both petitioners and the senator facing recall can appoint agents to observe the process.
Accredited media and observers will also be allowed to monitor the exercise.
INEC assured the public of its commitment to due process and urged against misinformation.
It added that alternative means of contacting the petitioners were being considered due to the incomplete information provided.
The commission affirmed that once all legal requirements are fulfilled, it will announce the next steps in the recall process.L
