From David Onuoja, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has revealed how a recall of any elected person from his/her position is costly, than to conduct a constituency election.
This came at the backdrop of a lingering recall letter petitioned to INEC about the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District at the upper chamber of the National Assembly over an allegation of sexual harassment.
The Special Adviser to the INEC Chairman on Regulation and Guidelines , Mohammed Kunna, made this revelation during an online discussion on INEC Regulation and Guidelines for Recall, 2024.
During the social media event on Saturday via the X account, Kunna pointed out that conducting a recall election was similar to conducting three constituency elections.
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He said, once a petition is received and verified to meet legal requirements, INEC must first of all, conduct a verification exercise at the affected polling units.
“For the verification to happen, we have to use the Bi-Modal Voter Verification System (BVAS), because those who signed the petition must be verified as genuine registered voters in those units.
“Then, INEC needs to establish 50 per cent plus one signature from the constituency.
“After that, we proceed to the final stage of conducting the referendum, which involves a yes or no vote by registered voters in the constituency,” Kunna said.
He also said that the process will involve mobilising staff, deploying election materials, transportation, and other resources, much like conducting three senatorial district elections.
Buttressing the matter, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, acknowledged the high cost, stressing that INEC must adhere to the law.
Oyekanmi earlier noted that INEC’s regulations and the Electoral Act specified the process for conducting a recall election.
According to him, “the law allows a recall election only if the petitioners meet constitutional requirements, including submitting signatures from at least half of the registered voters in the constituency.
“Once the petition is received, INEC performs a preliminary check and then verifies the signatures.
“The lawmaker facing the recall would be informed and has the right to deploy agents to observe the process,” he added.
