After confirming the contact information of the petitioner, INEC will continue to carry out Natasha’s recall petition.
INEC notified Natasha about development and set out to make a petition request.
In a dramatic turnaround, the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) has withdrawn its earlier statement and has confirmed the validity of the link details of the recall process of the petitioner representing Senator Natasha Akpoti-uduaghan.
In a statement disclosed today, Mr. Sam Olumekun, the State Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voters Education Committee, pointed out that INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu received the phone number, email address and other necessary details of the petitioner’s representative.
Initially, INEC dismissed the petition Tuesday because of differences in contact with the petitioner. It noted that the petition did not comply with the requirements set forth in Article 1 (f) of INEC Regulation and that the contact address, telephone number and email address were missing in the cover letter for that entry. Therefore, the petitioner cannot be contacted.
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However, since the petitioner’s representative has done the necessary work, the recall process has been accepted by INEC and the process will begin.
Under the provisions of Article 2 (a) of INEC and the recall guidelines, the Commission sent a letter informing Senator Natasha after receiving detailed information on the recall petitioner.
The letter has also been shared with Senate moderators and has been posted on INEC’s website for public access.
Since INEC will resume recall procedures, petitioners will need to prove without a doubt that their claims have merits. Meanwhile, Natasha Akpoti-uduaghan’s legal team may need to prepare strong defenses to challenge the effectiveness of the petition.