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| INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu |
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed progress in the recall petition against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Following procedural setbacks highlighted earlier, INEC announced on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, that the petitioners have now provided the required contact details, including addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, in line with Clause 2(a) of its Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
It also claims to have officially notified the Senator of the petition through a letter it said was delivered to her office, adding that copies of the letter have also been sent to the Senate’s presiding officer and published on INEC’s website.
This development follows INEC’s earlier observation that the petition lacked essential details, which initially delayed further processing.
The recall petition reportedly includes six bags of documents containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in Kogi Central. These signatures, the sponsors claim, span 902 polling units across five local government areas: Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.
However, critics argue that INEC should have dismissed the petition outright due to its initial procedural flaws.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan on her part has accused INEC of bias for providing guidance to the petitioners instead of declaring the petition incompetent.
Meanwhile, her supporters have warned against any attempts to undermine her mandate amid her ongoing suspension from the Senate over allegations involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
INEC reiterated its commitment to adhering strictly to constitutional and legal frameworks as it moves forward with signature verification using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the same BVAS that failed to produce a credible elections for Nigerians in 2023, observers argue.
But INEC says the outcome of this process will determine subsequent steps in the recall procedure.
Below is full text of the INEC Press Release to the effect:
UPDATE ON THE RECALL OF THE SENATOR REPRESENTING KOGI CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT
Further to the statement issued yesterday, Tuesday 25th March 2025, the Commission hereby confirms that the contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission dated today Wednesday 26th March 2025.
As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission's Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the Senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address.
“The same letter has been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission's website.
“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the Constituency.
“This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission.
“We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent.
~Sam Olumekun mni
National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee
Wednesday 26th March 2025
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