The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has highlighted the extensive costs and logistical challenges associated with the recall process, describing it as comparable to conducting a full-scale election.
During an X Spaces discussion on Saturday titled “INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024. BVAS and IREV: Facts and Myths,” the commission explained the complexities involved in recalling an elected representative.
Prof. Mohammed Kuna, Special Adviser to the INEC Chairman, emphasized that a recall election requires significant resources, including staff deployment, technology, recall materials, and transportation.
He noted that it is even more expensive than a senatorial election due to the multiple phases involved.
“A recall process is like conducting an election itself. It has to do with mobilisation of staff, deployments of recall materials, technologies, transportation, among others,” Kuna stated.
He further elaborated on the scale of the process, saying:
“A recall process is like conducting three senatorial district elections because we will go back to the field three times. It is more expensive than conducting a senatorial election.”
Also speaking, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, assured that the Commission remains committed to following due process in any recall effort.
“If constituents express the desire for a recall and fulfill the necessary requirements, we will proceed accordingly,” Oyekanmi affirmed.
He further clarified the procedure for filling a vacant seat in the National Assembly, explaining that INEC would conduct a by-election if notified by the relevant presiding officers.
“We prepare for all situations, as we are aware of the unpredictability of electoral events,” he added, emphasizing the Commission’s readiness for any eventuality.
The discussion comes amid a recall petition against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The petition, submitted by Charity Ijese on behalf of constituents, was officially received and stamped at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja by the Commission’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, on Monday.
The recall effort follows a series of controversies involving Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from the Senate on March 6 over allegations of “gross misconduct” after a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
She had previously accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.
According to the petitioners, over 200,000 registered voters—more than half of the electorate in Kogi Central—have signed in favor of the recall.
INEC confirmed that on Wednesday, a letter containing the contact details of the petitioners’ representatives, including phone numbers and email addresses, was submitted to the Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The next phase of the process, the Commission stated, will involve verifying whether the petition meets the constitutional requirement of securing endorsements from at least 50 percent of registered voters in Kogi Central.
