“INEC Has Taken Sides” – Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Faults Commission Over Recall Petition

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias in handling the petition seeking her recall, arguing that the commission should have dismissed it outright.

INEC confirmed on Tuesday that it had received the petition, which reportedly contained signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in Kogi Central Senatorial District. However, the commission noted that the petition lacked essential details, including contact addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, as required under the 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.

In a letter dated March 26, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, criticized INEC for not rejecting the petition. Instead, he said, the commission effectively guided the petitioners on how to correct their errors. *“Your position as disclosed in your press release on March 25, 2025, signed by Sam Olumekun, shows that the Commission has taken sides and has become partial in favor of the petitioners in this case,”* the letter read.

Akpoti-Uduaghan maintained that INEC should have declared the petition defective and ended the recall process. She also questioned the validity of the petition, pointing out that the addresses provided were limited to Okene, Kogi State, suggesting that the signatures were not representative of the entire senatorial district.

She further insisted that INEC’s decision to allow the petitioners to amend their submission instead of dismissing it outright was a breach of due process. Urging the commission to reconsider its stance, she said, “We still believe that the Commission will act rightly.”