Natasha breaks silence as move to recall her gathers steam

• The suspended Kogi Central Senator accused INEC of bias for not outrightly dismissing a callback petition against her, contempt its procedural flaws
• INEC acknowledged receiving the petition, which reportedly had signatures from implicit fractional of the senatorial district’s voters but lacked indispensable details required for validation
• Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that INEC should person declared the petition incompetent alternatively of advising petitioners connected corrections, informing that its handling could undermine nationalist trust

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 connection issued connected Wednesday, March 27, Akpoti-Uduaghan criticized the electoral body, suggesting that its handling of the petition demonstrated bias.

Kogi Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan holds INEC liable arsenic callback bid gathers steam. Photo credit: @NatashaAkpti/@Senator_Akpabio/@inecnigeria
Source: Original

INEC confirms receipt of petition

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

According to a connection signed by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, the petition failed to conscionable captious requirements.

It lacked indispensable details specified arsenic the interaction addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of the petitioners, arsenic mandated by the Commission’s 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.

Despite these shortcomings, INEC did not instantly discard the petition but alternatively pointed retired the deficiencies to the petitioners, indicating that verification could proceed erstwhile corrections were made.

Akpoti-Uduaghan accuses INEC of bias

Kogi Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan lists reasons wherefore INEC is to blasted arsenic efforts to callback her intensify. Photo credit: @NatashaAkpoti/@Senator_Akpabio
Source: Facebook

Reacting done her lawyer, Victor Giwa, successful a missive dated March 26, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused INEC of partiality, arguing that the committee should person declared the petition invalid alternatively than advising petitioners connected however to hole its defects, Vanguard reported.

“The commission’s property merchandise connected March 25, 2025, signed by Sam Olumekun, suggests that INEC has taken sides. The petition did not conscionable the required threshold owed to missing details similar interaction addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses, arsenic stated successful Clause 1(f) of INEC’s regulations,” the missive stated.

According to her, INEC should person dismissed the petition alternatively of providing guidance to the petitioners connected correcting their errors.

Calls for petition’s dismissal

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

“Legally, the committee should person declared the petition defective and disregarded it. Instead, INEC is acting arsenic an advisor to the petitioners, allowing them to amend their submission and proceed with the callback process,” she argued.

She further pointed retired that the petitioners’ provided code was constricted to Okene, Kogi state, raising concerns that the signatures whitethorn not person been genuinely typical of the full senatorial district.

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

Calls for INEC to uphold nationalist trust

Akpoti-Uduaghan urged INEC to uphold owed process and enactment with neutrality, informing that its handling of the callback petition could erode nationalist assurance successful the electoral process.

“The committee indispensable bash the close happening and guarantee that the callback process follows owed process. The integrity of our antiauthoritarian institutions depends connected it,” she concluded.

Senator Natasha speaks connected receiving N500m from Akpabio

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 specified funds from Senator Akpabio.

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Source: Legit.ng