Photo: Mahmood Yakubu (INEC Chairman) and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Mohamed Garba
In a dramatic escalation in the political arena of Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has leveled serious accusations against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), claiming that its decision to allow petitioners to rectify procedural errors in a recall petition is a blatant display of bias.
The recall petition, which reportedly boasts signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the senatorial district, came under fire after INEC acknowledged receipt of the document through a press release on March 25, 2025. However, the electoral body pointed out that the petition was missing essential details, including the contact addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of the petitioners—information mandated under the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, represented by her lawyer, Victor Giwa, in a letter dated March 26, 2025, slammed INEC for not outrightly dismissing the petition for these procedural deficiencies. “The proper step should have been to declare the petition incompetent and dismiss it, not to guide the petitioners to correct their errors,” the letter read. Giwa argued that by advising petitioners to supply the missing details, INEC has compromised its neutrality, effectively siding with those seeking to recall the senator.
The senator contended that the defective petition did not meet the statutory requirements and further noted that the provided addresses were limited to Okene, Kogi State. “This detail suggests that the signatures may not accurately represent the entire senatorial district,” she asserted, questioning the validity and legitimacy of the recall process.
INEC’s stance, as articulated by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, has stirred controversy. While the commission acknowledged the shortfalls in the petition, it opted to adopt a corrective rather than punitive approach, advising petitioners on how to meet the stipulated requirements. Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, believes that this action undermines due process and public trust.
“This decision to allow the petitioners to amend their submission rather than dismissing a patently defective petition shows partiality. It is a breach of the expected impartiality that should characterize our electoral process,” the senator said in her statement, adding that INEC must rebuild the public trust that she claims is “fast-declining.”
The controversy comes at a time when electoral integrity and procedural adherence are under intense scrutiny, with both political stakeholders and the public watching closely. As the debate over the recall petition intensifies, questions remain about whether INEC’s handling of the matter will set a precedent for future electoral disputes.
