The Independent National Electoral Commission has raised concerns over the recall petition filed against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, citing the absence of critical contact details and a verifiable address for the petitioners.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, INEC revealed that while the petition was accompanied by six bags of documents claiming to contain signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in Kogi Central, it failed to meet a key requirement proper contact information.
According to the electoral body, the petition was submitted without a definite location, email addresses, or multiple phone numbers to verify its authenticity.
“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.
“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 revelation has sparked fresh questions about the legitimacy of the recall process, which has been clouded by allegations of fraud and political interference.
Despite these irregularities, INEC clarified that if the petitioners provide the necessary details, the recall process will proceed as required by law.
“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,” INEC stated.
“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.”
INEC further noted that it is exploring alternative ways to contact the petitioners, given the lack of a clear address.
The recall petition comes at a time when Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing political turbulence. She was recently suspended from the Senate after publicly accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, a move many believe to be politically motivated.
Her suspension, coupled with the questionable recall process, has fueled speculation that she is being targeted for challenging powerful figures within the political establishment.
