INEC Raises Concerns Over Missing Contact Details in Kogi Senator Recall Petition

INEC Raises Concerns Over Missing Contact Details in Kogi Senator Recall Petition

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has highlighted deficiencies in the recall petition against the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, particularly the lack of essential contact details. This was disclosed in a statement released by Sam Olumekun, mni, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, following the commission’s regular weekly meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

According to INEC, the petition was accompanied by six bags of documents, purportedly containing signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters across 902 polling units in 57 registration areas (wards) within the five local government areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene. However, a critical observation made by the commission was that the petitioners failed to provide a contact address, phone numbers, and email addresses in their submission. The only address provided was “Okene, Kogi State,” which INEC deemed inadequate for communication. Additionally, only the lead petitioner’s phone number was included, instead of contact details for all petition representatives, as required by Clause 1(f) of INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.

INEC reaffirmed that the recall process is a constitutional right of registered voters in a constituency and that petitions must fully comply with legal requirements before the commission can proceed with the verification of signatures. If the petition meets the submission criteria, INEC will verify the signatories in each polling unit using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in an open process