The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that the petition seeking to recall the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, “holds no water” because it acks essential contact details and does not meet the necessary requirements for further processing.
According to a statement made available on Tuesday by INEC National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the Commission, following its regular weekly meeting on Tuesday, reviewed the petition, which was submitted with six bags of documents reportedly containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.
The statement revealed that the petitioners claim to have gathered support across the 902 polling units in 57 registration areas within Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene local government areas.
However, INEC observed that the covering letter forwarding the petition did not include a specific contact address, telephone numbers, or email addresses of all the petitioners’ representatives, as required under Clause 1(f) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.
The statement added that the given address, listed simply as “Okene, Kogi State,” was deemed insufficient for proper communication, while only the lead petitioner’s phone number was provided instead of those of all representatives.
INEC reiterated that a legislator’s recall is solely the prerogative of registered voters in the constituency and that any such petition must comply fully with the stipulated legal requirements before the Commission can proceed with verification.
The Commission assured the public that it remains committed to following due process and urged against speculation and misinformation circulating on social media.
The statement reads, “The statement reads, “The Commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Tuesday, 25th March 2025. Among other issues, the meeting discussed the petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
“The process of recall is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, as well as the Commission’s detailed Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, available on our website. All petitions will be treated in strict compliance with the legal framework.
“The petition from Kogi Central Senatorial District was accompanied by six bags of documents said to be signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene.
The Commission’s immediate observation is that the representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter forwarding the petition through which they can be contacted as provided in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines. The address given is “Okene, Kogi State”, which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of “the lead petitioner” is provided as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners.
“The Commission wishes to reiterate that the recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them. Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in our regulations, the Commission shall commence the verification of the signatures in each Polling Unit in an open process restricted to registered voters that signed the petition only. The petitioners and the member whose recall is sought shall be at liberty to nominate agents to observe the verification, while interested observers and the media will also be accredited. At each Polling Unit, signatories to the petition shall be verified using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
”Consequently, if the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines regarding the submission of their petition, the Commission will announce the next steps in line with the extant laws, regulations and guidelines. In the absence of a definite contact address, the Commission is making efforts to use other means to notify the representatives of the petitioners of the situation.
“The Commission reassures the public that it will be guided by the legal framework for recall. The public should therefore discountenance any speculations and insinuations in the social media.“
