The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that the contact details of the petitioners’ representatives involved in the recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central are now available.
Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, made this known in a statement released on Wednesday.
According to the statement, a letter containing the phone numbers, email addresses, and other relevant contact details of the petitioners’ representatives was submitted to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday.
This development follows an earlier statement by INEC on Tuesday, in which the commission noted that the petitioners had not provided the required contact information, including addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, as stipulated in the Commission’s 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.
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Additionally, the statement confirmed that, in accordance with these regulations, INEC has formally notified the senator about the petition’s receipt.
The notification letter was sent to her official address and forwarded to the presiding officer of the Senate. It has also been published on the INEC website for public access, Olumekun added.
“Further to the statement issued yesterday, Tuesday 25th March 2025, the commission hereby confirms that the contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the chairman of the commission dated today, Wednesday 26th March 2025.
“As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the Senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address.
“The same letter has been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the commission’s website,” the statement read in part.
The statement further indicated that the next stage of the process will involve a detailed review of the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners.
INEC will conduct a verification exercise to confirm whether the petition has been signed by more than 50 percent of registered voters in the Kogi Central Constituency.
The results of this verification will be made public in the coming days and will determine the next steps in the recall process.
INEC also reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining transparency throughout the procedure.
“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than half (over 50 percent) of the registered voters in the Constituency. This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the commission.
“We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent,” the statement concluded.
The recall petition was initiated after a series of controversial incidents involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from the Senate on March 6 over allegations of “gross misconduct” following a confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Titled “Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence,” the petition seeks her removal, citing claims of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and a consistent pattern of deceit.
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