The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has acknowledged the receipt of a petition aimed at recalling Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan; however, it has determined that the petition does not fulfill the necessary “requirements” for such an action.
This information was conveyed by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, in a statement released on Tuesday.
Olumekun noted that the petition, originating from the Kogi Central Senatorial District, was submitted with six bags of documents containing signatures from “over half of the 474,554 registered voters” across 902 Polling Units within 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.
Nevertheless, the INEC commissioner pointed out that certain essential elements were lacking in the petition. He stated, “Once the petition complies with the submission requirements outlined in our regulations, the Commission will initiate the verification of signatures in each Polling Unit through a transparent process limited to the registered voters who signed the petition.”
He further emphasized that INEC’s “initial observation” regarding the petition was that the petitioners’ representatives failed to include their contact address, telephone numbers, and email addresses in the covering letter accompanying the petition, as stipulated in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines.
“The address provided is ‘Okene, Kogi State,’ which does not serve as a specific point of contact for reaching the petitioners. Only the telephone number of the ‘lead petitioner’ was included, rather than the numbers for all other representatives,” the statement partially read.
The INEC national commissioner reiterated that the decision to recall a legislator rests solely with the registered voters in a constituency who express their loss of confidence in their representative through a signed petition.
As a result, the Commission will outline the subsequent actions in accordance with the current laws, regulations, and guidelines, provided that the petitioners adhere completely to the stipulations of Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines concerning their petition submission, he stated. The initiative to recall Senator Natasha emerged shortly after her suspension from the Senate for breaching its rules, following her allegations of sexual assault against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
