Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held its regular weekly meeting on Tuesday 25th March 2025.
The commission discussed petition for the recall of Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan, Senator representing Kogi Central amom other issues.
The petition, submitted by a group of registered voters from Kogi Central, included six bags of documents containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 polling units in 57 registration areas within the five LGAs of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.
The process for recalling a legislator is provided for under the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, all of which are available on the commission’s website.
The commission noted that Representatives of the petitioners failed to provide a definite contact address, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses as required by Clause 1(f) of the Guidelines.
While the covering letter listed the address as “Okene, Kogi State” and included only the telephone number of the lead petitioner, the details of other representatives were missing.
INEC reiterated that the recall of a legislator is a prerogative of the registered voters in a constituency, who must indicate their loss of confidence in their representative through a properly submitted petition.
According to the commission; once the petition meets all submission requirements, it will begin a transparent verification process at each polling unit using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
INEC added that Petitioners and the recalled member are allowed to nominate agents to observe the verification, and interested observers and the media will also be accredited.
The Commission said if the petitioners comply fully with the necessary requirements, it will announce the next steps in accordance with existing laws and guidelines.
INEC cautioned the public against speculations and unfounded insinuations transmitting on social media, and assured that the recall process will strictly adhere to the established legal framework.
