The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that conducting a recall election is more expensive than a regular constituency election.
Mohammed Kunna, Special Adviser to the INEC Chairman, made this known during an online discussion on “INEC Regulation and Guidelines for Recall 2024.”
The event, held on the social media platform X, also addressed issues related to BVAS and IREV, dispelling various myths about the electoral process.
Kunna explained that a recall election is as complex as conducting three constituency elections.
His words: “Once a petition is received and verified to meet legal requirements, INEC must first conduct a verification exercise at the affected polling units.
“For that verification to happen, we have to use the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to authenticate that those who signed the petition are genuine registered voters in those units.
“Then, INEC must establish that at least 50 percent plus one of the registered voters in the constituency signed the petition.
“After that, we proceed to the final stage—conducting the referendum, where registered voters in the constituency will decide with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote.”
Kunna noted that the recall process requires significant resources, including staff mobilization, election materials, and transportation, making it financially burdensome.
“In my opinion, the recall process is much more expensive than conducting a single senatorial district election,” he said.
Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, acknowledged the financial burden but emphasized that the commission must abide by the law.
“What is important is what the law says we should do in each case if constituents wish to recall their representatives,” Oyekanmi stated.
He explained that INEC follows constitutional guidelines, including verifying signatures and allowing the affected lawmaker to observe the process. Observers and media personnel can also monitor the verification and referendum.
Regarding online voting, Oyekanmi clarified that the Nigerian Constitution does not permit INEC to conduct electronic voting.
INEC recently confirmed that it has begun verifying over 200,000 signatures submitted in the petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The petitioners claim all signatories are valid voters from her constituency, but Akpoti-Uduaghan and several observers have expressed concerns over the authenticity of the signatures.
She insists that she still enjoys the backing of the majority of her over 400,000 constituents.
