Natasha’s recall: Kogi SDP passes vote of no confidence on INEC

By Christiana Ekpa

The Social Democratic Party, (SDP), in Kogi State has expressed deep concern and lack of confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), citing experiences from the 2023 Kogi State governorship election and recent developments regarding the recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The Kogi State Press Secretary of the SDP, Isaiah Davies Ijele, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

According to Ijele, “Our party notes with dismay that despite INEC’s previous statements to investigate and prosecute electoral offenders in Kogi State and the cancellation of election results from Okene, Okehi, Adavi, Ajaokuta and Ogorimangogo local government areas, the commission proceeded to declare election results without adhering to the stipulated procedures, particularly regarding the actual accredited voters.

“This raises serious questions about INEC’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring free and fair elections.”

The opposition Social Democratic Party in Kogi State further highlighted the alleged inconsistency in INEC’s pronouncements regarding the petition to recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“The commission initially declared the petition as not meeting the required standards, only to reverse its position within a short period. This erratic behavior undermines public trust and fuels suspicion of manipulation.

“We call on all lovers of democracy worldwide to closely monitor the situation in Kogi State. The SDP questions how INEC could have confirmed the signatures of nearly 208,132 individuals, a figure that almost doubles the total number of voters in that election.

“The SDP is deeply concerned about INEC’s demonstrated incompetence in past elections and will not fold our hands while the commission attempts to repeat its past mistakes to the detriment of Kogi citizens,” the statement added.