Breaking: Natasha’s recall petition runs into a hitch as INEC faults missing contact details of signatories

Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said  in a statement that the petition, submitted on Monday, March 24, 2025, included six bags of documents purportedly containing signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in Kogi Central Senatorial District.

The Commission pointed out, however, that the petitioners did not provide their addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, as required by the its regulations.

The petition, which was presented by one Charity Ijese on behalf of constituents, was received by INEC’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, but

merely provided “Okene, Kogi State” as address, contrary to INEC’s standards.

INEC in a statement said: “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.

“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.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s controversial recall process is an aftermath of her travails, which has resulted in her suspension by the Senate for six months over alleged  “gross misconduct” soon after days after accusing the Senate, President Godswill Akpabio, of sexually harassing her.

The INEC Commissioner said the recall process was in accordance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and its regulations and guidelines for recall 2024, adding that once the petition meets the submission requirements, INEC will commence verifying signatures in each polling unit, using the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS).

“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,” Olumekun said.

“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,” he added, saying the Commission would be guided guided by the legal framework for recall.