By Cecilia Ogezi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed receipt of a petition seeking the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District. The development was disclosed in a press release issued on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, following the Commission’s regular weekly meeting.
According to the statement signed by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, the petition was accompanied by six bags of documents reportedly containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district. These voters are spread across 902 polling units in 57 registration areas within the five local government areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.
However, INEC noted that the submission was procedurally defective. Specifically, the petitioners failed to provide a verifiable contact address, as required under Clause 1(f) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024. The only address submitted was “Okene, Kogi State,” which the Commission described as “not a definite location.” Furthermore, only the telephone number of the lead petitioner was included, contrary to the requirement that contact details of all representatives be provided.
“The recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them,” the Commission emphasized. It added that upon fulfillment of submission requirements, the process would proceed to verification of signatures at the polling unit level, using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
The Commission stated that both the petitioners and the legislator would be allowed to nominate agents to observe the verification exercise, alongside accredited observers and media representatives.
INEC assured the public of its commitment to uphold the constitutional and legal framework guiding the recall process and urged citizens to disregard speculations circulating on social media.
The Commission is exploring alternative channels to notify the petitioners of the procedural gaps in their submission and reiterated that further steps would only be taken upon full compliance with stipulated guidelines.
