By Ghazali Ibrahim 
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed receiving a petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
However, the commission noted that the petition did not meet the required standards, specifically lacking adequate signatures from registered voters in the district.
According to INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the petition was submitted with six bags of documents purportedly containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.
The signatures were collected from 902 Polling Units across 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.
However, INEC emphasized that the representatives of the petitioners failed to provide their contact information, as required by the commission’s regulations.
Specifically, the petitioners did not provide their address, telephone number(s), and e-mail address(es), making it difficult for the commission to communicate with them.
“The address given is ‘Okene, Kogi State’, which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners,” Olumekun stated.
“Only the telephone number of ‘the lead petitioner’ is provided, as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners.”
Despite this omission, INEC reassures that it will proceed with the verification process once the petitioners comply with the regulatory requirements.
The commission will use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to verify the signatures at each Polling Unit.
The petitioners, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, and accredited observers will be allowed to witness the verification process.
INEC has urged the petitioners to provide the required contact information to facilitate communication and ensure a smooth recall process.
It’s worth noting that this development comes amidst ongoing controversy surrounding Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, including her recent six-month suspension from the Senate due to misconduct.
The recall petition is seen as a further challenge to her representation of Kogi Central Senatorial District.
