The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reviewed a petition seeking to recall the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, in person of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The petition claims that more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district want the senator recalled.
However, INEC has identified some issues that must be resolved before the process can continue.
Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said this in a statement issued on Thursday, 25th March, 2025.
Olumekun said one of the major holes picked in the submitted petition is that the petitioners did not provide a clear contact address.
According to INEC, the address given—"Okene, Kogi State"—is too vague, and only one phone number was provided instead of the required contact details for all petition representatives.
"The representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter forwarding the petition through which they can be contacted as provided in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines," INEC stated.
INEC reminded the public that the recall of a senator must follow the law, including the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
If the petition meets all the legal requirements, INEC will move to the next stage of verifying the signatures of those who signed the petition.
This verification will take place at polling units, where only registered voters who signed the petition will confirm their support using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). INEC assured the public that the process would be open and transparent.
"Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, the Commission shall commence the verification of the signatures in each Polling Unit in an open process restricted to registered voters that signed the petition only," the statement explained.
Both the petitioners and the senator being recalled will be allowed to send representatives to observe the process. Additionally, journalists and independent observers will be accredited to monitor the verification.
INEC has also stated that if the petitioners provide the correct contact details, it will proceed with the next steps. In the meantime, the commission is trying to reach out through other means to notify them.
Reassuring the public, INEC said it will strictly follow the legal process and urged people to ignore false information spreading on social media.
"The public should therefore discountenance any speculations and insinuations in the social media," it said.