Time Ticks For Natasha As INEC Confirms Petitioners’ Contact Details
Baring unforeseen circumstances, the embattled Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan may have to start counting the remaining number of days she has left in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly as a legislator.
This followed the confirmation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), that it is now in possession of the contact details of the petitioners’ representatives involved in the recall process of the embattled Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.
Mr Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, who stated the position of the Commission on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, said that a letter containing the phone numbers, email addresses, and other relevant contact details of the petitioners’ representatives was submitted to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday.
This latest development followed an earlier statement by INEC on Tuesday, in which it stated that the petitioners failed to provide the required contact information, including addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, as stipulated in the Commission’s 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.
Accordingly, INEC said that it has duly notified the embattled Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan with regards to the petition’s receipt, adding that the notification letter was sent to her official address and forwarded to the presiding officer of the Senate.
In the words of Olumekun; “It has also been published on the INEC website for public access.
“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 stated in part.
INEC therefore said that the next stage of the process will involve a detailed review of the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners, saying that it 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.
INEC said that the results of the verification will be made public in the coming days and will determine the next steps in the recall process even as it reaffirmed commitment to maintaining transparency throughout the procedure.
It said; “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 constituents in the recall petition titled; “Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence,” said they are desirous of her removal as a senator following her gross misconduct, abuse of office, and consistent pattern of deceit.
