Only the telephone number of ‘the lead petitioner’ was provided – INEC rejects petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected a petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti, who represents the Kogi Central Senatorial District. 

The Commission made the announcement following its regular weekly meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

According to INEC’s statement, the petition, which was submitted alongside six bags of documents containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district, did not meet the necessary legal requirements. The petitioners failed to provide complete contact details for the representatives of the petitioners, which is a requirement under Clause 1(f) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall, 2024. The petition only listed a vague address, “Okene, Kogi State,” without specific contact details for the petitioners’ representatives, and only provided a telephone number for the lead petitioner.

INEC emphasized that the recall process is governed by the Constitution, the Electoral Act of 2022, and the Commission’s detailed regulations. In accordance with these regulations, the Commission requires full compliance with the submission requirements before moving forward with the verification process. This includes verifying the signatures of the petitioners using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in each Polling Unit, with opportunities for both the petitioners and the senator under recall to nominate agents to observe the verification process.

The Commission further stated that it would use alternative methods to notify the petitioners’ representatives of the situation and that it remains committed to conducting the recall process transparently and within the legal framework. INEC also urged the public to disregard any misinformation or rumors circulating on social media regarding the matter.

The statement released by INEC’s National Commissioner & Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun reads in full;

“The Commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Tuesday 25th March 2025. Among other issues, the meeting discussed the petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.

The process of recall is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 as well as the Commission’s detailed Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, available on our website. All petitions will be treated in strict compliance with the legal framework.

The petition from Kogi Central Senatorial District was accompanied by six bags of documents said to be signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene.

The Commission’s immediate observation is that 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. The address given is “Okene, Kogi State”, which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of “the lead petitioner” is provided as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners.

The Commission wishes to reiterate that the recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them. Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in our regulations, 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 petitioners and the member whose recall is sought shall be at liberty to nominate agents to observe the verification, while interested observers and the media will also be accredited. At each Polling Unit, signatories to the petition shall be verified using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Consequently, if the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines regarding the submission of their petition, the Commission will announce the next steps in line with the extant laws, regulations and guidelines. In the absence of a definite contact address, the Commission is making efforts to use other means to notify the representatives of the petitioners of the situation.

The Commission reassures the public that it will be guided by the legal framework for recall. The public should therefore discountenance any speculations and insinuations in the social media.”

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