The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed the availability of contact details for the representatives of petitioners seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central.
Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the statement, a letter containing the petitioners’ representatives’ telephone numbers, email addresses, and other contact information was submitted to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
This update follows an earlier statement from the commission on Tuesday, which noted that the petitioners had initially failed to provide the necessary contact details, as required under INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
Olumekun further stated that in accordance with the commission’s regulations, a formal notification has been sent to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan regarding the receipt of the recall petition.
The letter was delivered to her official address, forwarded to the presiding officer of the Senate, and published on the INEC website for public reference.
He reiterated that the next stage of the process will involve verifying the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ensure that more than 50 percent of registered voters in Kogi Central have endorsed the recall petition.
The results of this verification will be made public in the coming days and will determine the next steps in the recall process.
INEC reassured Nigerians of its commitment to a transparent process, stating, “The next step is to scrutinize the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than half of the registered voters in the constituency. This will be done in the coming days, and the outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the commission.”
The recall petition follows Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Senate on March 6 over allegations of gross misconduct.
The petition, titled “Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence,” cites accusations of misconduct, abuse of office, and deceit as reasons for the recall effort.