A Nigerian civic group has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be extra vigilant in verifying signatures on a petition seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, warning of potential forgeries.
The Executive Director of the Grassroots Centre for Rights & Civic Orientation, Armsfree Ajanaku in a statement released on Thursday, said it had been closely monitoring the process initiated by some constituents in Kogi Central Senatorial District to recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, citing alleged loss of confidence.
While acknowledging the constitutional right of constituents to seek the recall of their representatives, the group stressed that INEC, as Nigeria’s election management body, must ensure strict adherence to due process, transparency, and accountability in managing the process.
The Grassroots Centre expressed concern about the integrity and credibility of the recall process, alleging that underhand tactics, misinformation, and unethical methods had been employed to deceive citizens.
The group cited online videos purportedly showing constituents being misled into believing they were attending events for empowerment or to receive palliatives, only to have their signatures and biometric details collected for the recall petition.
The Centre also raised alarm over reports of signature buying and other inducements, describing such practices as criminal.
Furthermore, the Grassroots Centre claimed to have documented online footage showing political actors and their agents compiling fake signatures for the recall from the comfort of their homes. It argued that these alleged falsifications and underhand tactics, amounting to forgeries and impersonation, could not be ignored by INEC.
The group emphasised that the authenticity of the signatures collected is critical to the integrity of the recall process, referencing the constitutional requirement for a recall petition to be signed by more than half of the registered voters in the constituency.
The Grassroots Centre called on INEC to implement extra measures to ensure that forged signatures are not validated during the verification process. It demanded transparency in the verification process, with the methods used to determine the credibility of signatures made known to all stakeholders, including the media, civil society organisations, political parties, and security agencies.
In cases where forged or falsified signatures are found to have been included in the petition, the Grassroots Centre called for the investigation, prosecution, and public shaming of the leaders and representatives who submitted such forgeries.
The concerns raised by the group add another layer of complexity to the ongoing recall effort against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, which has already been met with controversy and accusations of bias.
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