Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not outrightly dismissing a petition seeking her recall.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 27, Akpoti-Uduaghan criticized the electoral body, suggesting that its handling of the petition demonstrated bias.

On Tuesday, March 25, INEC acknowledged receiving the petition, which reportedly carried signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the senatorial district, Punch reported.

According to a statement signed by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, the petition failed to meet critical requirements.

It lacked essential details such as the contact addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of the petitioners, as mandated by the Commission’s 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.

Despite these shortcomings, INEC did not immediately discard the petition but instead pointed out the deficiencies to the petitioners, indicating that verification could proceed once corrections were made.

Reacting through her lawyer, Victor Giwa, in a letter dated March 26, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused INEC of partiality, arguing that the commission should have declared the petition invalid rather than advising petitioners on how to fix its defects, Vanguard reported.

“The commission’s press release on March 25, 2025, signed by Sam Olumekun, suggests that INEC has taken sides. The petition did not meet the required threshold due to missing details like contact addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses, as stated in Clause 1(f) of INEC’s regulations,” the letter stated.

According to her, INEC should have dismissed the petition instead of providing guidance to the petitioners on correcting their errors.

Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that the petition should have been deemed incompetent and dismissed immediately.

“Legally, the commission should have declared the petition defective and disregarded it. Instead, INEC is acting as an adviser to the petitioners, allowing them to amend their submission and proceed with the recall process,” she argued.

She further pointed out that the petitioners’ provided address was limited to Okene, Kogi state, raising concerns that the signatures may not have been truly representative of the entire senatorial district.

“The petition only references Okene, Kogi State, which suggests that the 250 signatories came solely from that area. This raises questions about the legitimacy of the claims,” she added.

Akpoti-Uduaghan urged INEC to uphold due process and act with neutrality, warning that its handling of the recall petition could erode public confidence in the electoral process.

“The commission must do the right thing and ensure that the recall process follows due process. The integrity of our democratic institutions depends on it,” she concluded.

Previously, Legit.ng reported that suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Kogi Central has denied receiving ₦500 million from Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Akpoti-Uduaghan denied ever receiving such funds from Senator Akpabio.

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Source: Legit.ng