The Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias for failing to dismiss a petition seeking her recall, despite its procedural deficiencies.
INEC, in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, confirmed receiving the petition, which allegedly contains signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district. However, the commission noted that the petition lacked key details, including the contact addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of the petitioners—requirements under the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
In a letter dated March 26, Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her lawyer Victor Giwa, accused INEC of compromising its neutrality by guiding the petitioners on how to correct the errors rather than outrightly dismissing the petition.
She argued that INEC’s role should have been to declare the petition incompetent and invalid, effectively ending the recall process.
“The Commission has acknowledged that the petition failed to meet the required standards, yet instead of dismissing it, it has chosen to advise the petitioners on how to rectify their mistakes. This action suggests bias and a departure from due process,” the letter read in part.
Akpoti-Uduaghan further questioned the legitimacy of the petition, pointing out that the provided addresses were limited to Okene, Kogi State, raising doubts about whether the signatures truly represent the entire senatorial district.
She urged INEC to uphold its integrity by rejecting the petition outright, warning that failure to do so would erode public confidence in the commission.
“We still believe that the Commission will act rightly and restore public trust,” she stated.
