The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is more expensive to conduct a recall exercise than a constituency election.

Special Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Mohammed Kunna, at an online discussion on INEC Regulation and Guidelines for Recall 2024, on X platform, explained that conducting a recall election was similar to conducting three constituency elections. Constituents in Kogi Central senatorial zone had sent a petition to INEC for the recall of their Senator Natasha AkpotiUduaghan.

But Kunna said there are legal requirements that must be met before the recall process could succeed. “For that verification to happen, we have to use the Bimodal 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,” he stated. According to him, the final stage is for INEC to conduct the referendum, which he said, involves a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote by registered voters in the constituency.

The special adviser said the process involved INEC mobilising staff, deploying election materials, transportation, and other resources, which he added, like conducting three senatorial district elections.

“In my opinion, the recall process is much more expensive than conducting a single senatorial district election,” he said.

Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, assured that INEC will adhere to the law. “What is important is what the law says we should do in each case if constituents wish to recall their representatives.

“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,” he added. Oyekanmi explained that the Constitution did not permit INEC to conduct electronic voting.

INEC announced that it had begun the process of verifying the over 200,000 signatures on the petition to recall Mrs AkpotiUduaghan.

The persons who submitted the petition claimed that all the signatories existed and were voters in Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituency.