The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the recall petition submitted against Senator Natasha Akpoti – Uduaghan does not fully meet submission requirements.
The electoral commission stated this in a statement on Tuesday in Anuja.
It acknowledged receiving a petition seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District.
In the statement, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun said the petition lacks complete contact details of the petitioners.
According to INEC regulations, the petition must include full addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail contacts of all representatives.
Instead, the petition only provides a general location, “Okene, Kogi State,” and a single phone number belonging to the lead petitioner.
The petition was submitted with six bags of documents, reportedly containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the senatorial district.
These signatures were gathered from 902 polling units across 57 registration areas in Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene local government areas.
INEC emphasized that a recall process is the constitutional right of voters who have lost confidence in their elected representative.
If a petition meets all legal requirements, the commission will proceed with verifying the submitted signatures using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
However, due to the missing contact details, INEC stated that it is making efforts to notify the petitioners and ensure compliance with the required guidelines.
The commission reassured the public that the recall process would strictly follow legal procedures and urged people to disregard speculation or misinformation circulating on social media.
The petition was officially submitted on Monday to INEC’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
Constituents behind the petition claim they have secured the required number of signatures—over 200,000 registered voters.(vitalnewsngr.com)
