INEC Under Fire as Senator Natasha Accuses Commission of Bias in Recall Petition Saga

A fresh political storm is brewing in Kogi Central as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accuses the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias for not outrightly rejecting the petition seeking her recall. The embattled senator has condemned INEC’s response, claiming it indirectly favors her opponents by guiding them on procedural corrections instead of dismissing the petition as incompetent.

INEC, in a statement signed by its National Commissioner, Sam Olumekun, confirmed receiving the petition, allegedly backed by signatures from over half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district. However, the commission acknowledged that the petition failed to meet critical requirements—including missing contact addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of the petitioners.

Despite these flaws, INEC stopped short of dismissing the petition, a move Akpoti-Uduaghan has slammed as partial. In a strongly worded letter dated March 26, her lawyer, Victor Giwa, accused the commission of abandoning its neutrality by subtly assisting petitioners instead of shutting down the recall attempt.

“The Commission has taken sides and has become partial in favor of the petitioners,” the letter read, insisting that INEC should have declared the petition “incompetent” and dismissed it entirely.

This latest development has deepened suspicions of political maneuvering behind the recall process, with Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters viewing it as an orchestrated attempt to undermine her mandate. As tensions rise, all eyes are now on INEC’s next move—will it cave to pressure and discard the petition, or will the recall process proceed despite its procedural flaws?