INEC reviews recall petition against Senator Natasha, cites procedural gaps

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held its weekly meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, during which it reviewed a petition seeking the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.

In a statement signed by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner & Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC reaffirmed that the recall process is governed by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the Commission’s 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall, all of which must be strictly adhered to.

Details of the Recall Petition

The petition, submitted by representatives of Kogi Central Senatorial District, was accompanied by six bags of documents, purportedly containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters across 902 polling units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) within the five local government areas:

INEC Identifies Procedural Deficiencies

Despite the large-scale submission, INEC observed gaps in the petition that do not meet procedural requirements as outlined in its regulations.

Specifically, the representatives of the petitioners failed to provide a clear contact address, email addresses, and telephone numbers as required by Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines.

READ ALSO: Court halts INEC from processing recall petitions against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

The covering letter accompanying the petition merely stated “Okene, Kogi State” as the contact address, which is not a definite location for official correspondence. Furthermore, only the telephone number of “the lead petitioner” was provided, instead of the numbers of all representatives, as mandated by INEC guidelines.

Next Steps in the Recall Process

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INEC emphasized that a legislator’s recall is solely the prerogative of registered voters who sign a petition expressing a loss of confidence in their representative. Once a petition meets all submission requirements, INEC will initiate the verification of signatures in an open process.

Key verification steps include:

Conducting the process at each polling unit where signatures were collected.

Using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to authenticate signatories.

Allowing petitioners and the affected senator to nominate agents to observe the verification process.

Accrediting independent observers and media organizations for transparency.

INEC stated that it will announce the next steps once the petitioners fully comply with submission guidelines. However, given the lack of a clear contact address, the Commission is exploring alternative means to notify the petitioners of the situation.

INEC urged the public to disregard any rumors or social media speculations regarding the recall process. The Commission assured that it remains committed to strict adherence to the legal framework governing legislative recalls.