INEC Spots Irregularities in Natasha’s Recall Petition as Moves Suffer Setback

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over irregularities in the recall petition against the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, INEC noted that the petitioners failed to provide adequate contact details, making it difficult to proceed with the next steps.

“The representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses in the covering letter forwarding the petition. The address given is ‘Okene, Kogi State,’ which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners,” Olumekun stated.

The petition, which seeks to recall the senator, was accompanied by six bags of documents containing signatures allegedly collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters across 902 polling units in five local government areas. However, INEC pointed out that only the telephone number of “the lead petitioner” was provided instead of those of all the representatives.

INEC emphasized that the recall process is strictly guided by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024. If the petition meets the required criteria, the Commission will commence verification using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

“The recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in their representative. Once the petition meets the submission requirements, we shall commence the verification of signatures in each polling unit in an open process,” Olumekun explained.

The electoral body urged the petitioners to rectify the identified lapses, assuring that it remains committed to following the legal framework. “In the absence of a definite contact address, we are making efforts to use other means to notify the petitioners of the situation,” the statement added.

INEC also warned the public against misinformation regarding the recall process, urging citizens to disregard speculations circulating on social media.