General News
INEC Acknowledges Recall Petition Against Kogi Central Senator
By Iyojo Ameh
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed receiving a petition to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
In a statement released on Thursday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed that the petition was submitted with six bags of documents, reportedly containing signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.
However, INEC pointed out a significant omission in the petition. The representatives of the petitioners did not provide a valid contact address, telephone numbers, or email addresses as required by Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024. The only information available is a general location—”Okene, Kogi State”—and a single phone number for the lead petitioner, rather than the details of all representatives.
The Commission reiterated that a legislator’s recall is the prerogative of registered voters who express a loss of confidence in their representative. If the petition meets the necessary requirements, INEC will proceed with a verification exercise using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). The process will be open to only registered voters who signed the petition, with both the petitioners and the senator allowed to have agents observe the verification. Accredited observers and media organizations will also be permitted to monitor the proceedings.
INEC urged the petitioners to rectify the identified deficiencies in their submission. Meanwhile, the Commission is exploring alternative ways to reach the petitioners due to the absence of a specific contact address.
Reaffirming its commitment to a fair and lawful process, INEC advised the public to disregard any misinformation or speculation regarding the recall petition.
