Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan said the Independent National Electoral Commission displayed its bias by not throwing out the recall petitions sent to it by ‘Kogi Central’ voters who are demanding her recall from the Senate.
The INEC in a statement on Tuesday said the petitioners did not include their addresses, email and phone numbers and would be ready to address the petitions when those details are included.
But reacting to the development Akpoti-Uduaghan who is serving a six-month suspension from the Senate said the INEC rather than educate the petitioners on what to do next should have thrown out their frivolous petition outrightly.
“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 favour of the Petitioners in this case,” Akpoti Uduaghan said in a March 26, 2025 letter signed by her legal counsel Victor Giwa, and addressed to the INEC.
“The Commission has observed that the Petitioners’ Petition did not meet the threshold of the requirement of a Petition to recall a member, having not contained the required contact addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses in their covering letter forwarding the Petition as contained in Clause 1(f) of INEC Regulation and Guideline. The proper thing and step to have been taken is to declare the Petition as “incompetent” and subsequently disregard same.
“Lawfully, the Commission is supposed to have declared the Petition as incompetent for being patently defective for the reasons stated above but surprisingly, the Commission, instead of disregarding the Petition for failure to meet the requirements, opted to take the role of an adviser to the Petitioners and so advised the Petitioners that once they provide the needed information that is not contained in the Petition by meeting the requirements, it shall commence the verification of the signatures in each polling units.
“We posit that the Commission has by this press release shown partisanship and partiality in favour of the Petitioner and has compromised the process.
“The proper step to take by the Commission, if the Commission will maintain its integrity and impartiality, is to declare the Petition as incompetent and defective and notify the Petitioners accordingly. Therefore, putting an end to this process at this stage.”
She maintained that INEC by giving the petitioners are second chance rather than disqualify their recall petition has violate the rules. She urged the body to save its reputation and rebuild public trust in the in the institution.
