Just in: Petitioners insist on Natasha’s recall, submit contact list to INEC [PHOTO]

Just in: Petitioners insist on Natasha’s recall, submit contact list to INEC [PHOTO]

The move to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has gained fresh momentum as petitioners under the aegis of the Kogi Central Political Frontier have submitted a list of contact details to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The recall effort follows Senator Natasha’s recent suspension from the Senate for allegedly violating its rules. She had earlier accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual assault.

A letter signed by lead petitioner Salihu Habib and received by INEC on Wednesday stated, “Following the press release/observation of the Independent National Electoral Commission on the recall petition by the above body, attached is the contact of the petitioners.”

On Tuesday, INEC announced that the recall petition did not meet the necessary requirements.

Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, explained that the petition included six bags of documents containing signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 polling units in 57 wards across the five local government areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.

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However, he noted that key details were missing.

“Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in our regulations, the Commission shall commence the verification of the signatures in each polling unit in an open process restricted to registered voters that signed the petition only.”

He added that the petitioners had not provided complete contact information, which is required by INEC regulations.

“The representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s), and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter… The address given is ‘Okene, Kogi State,’ which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of ‘the lead petitioner’ is provided as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners,” the statement read in part.

Olumekun emphasized that a legislator’s recall is “the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them.”

He added that INEC would proceed with the next steps once the petition meets all legal requirements.

Just in: Petitioners insist on Natasha’s recall, submit contact list to INEC [PHOTO]