Inec formally notifies Dino Melaye it has received petition demanding his recall from the senate

CONTROVERSIAL Kogi West senator Dino Melaye is facing the battle of his life as the move to get him recalled from the senate heated up yesterday after the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) confirmed that it has been formally notified of the action.

 

Over recent weeks, Senator Melaye has become the subject of a recall attempt, as his political opponents have been gathering signatures to effect his recall from the senate. So far, it is reported that 188,588 signatures have been gathered but the senator has dismissed the move as a plot by his opponents led by Kogi State governor Yahya Bello.

 

Senator Melaye has held political rallies in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital during which he stated that this is an attempt by Governor Bello to deflect attention away from his misrule, including his failure to pay civil servants their salaries. Despite the fightback, however, the move to get Senator Melaye recalled is proceeding with Inec confirming that it had been notified about the move.

 

One Inec official revealed that the commission has formally notified Senator Melaye of the demand by the people of his constituency to recall him from the Senate. He said that the decision to inform Senator Melaye was taken at its meeting held in Abuja yesterday, where the petition submitted by voters in the Kogi West senatorial district was considered.

According to the commission, it would issue a notice to the petitioners and Senator Melaye on July 3, on when it would begin the verification of the signatures of those who signed the petition. Inec commissioner Mohammed Haruna, said that the next step is to verify that the petitioners are registered voters in the Kogi West senatorial district.

 

Mallam Haruna added: “Inec has held its regular weekly meeting and considered the petition submitted by registered voters from the Kogi West senatorial district to kick-start the process of recalling Senator Dino Melaye. In accordance with Inec’s guidelines for the recall of members of the National Assembly, the commission has finally acknowledged the receipt of the petition to the petitioners’ representatives and has conveyed a letter notifying Senator Dino Melaye of our receipt of the petition.
 

Kogi West has seven local government areas and the signatures and petitions from each of them were packaged in seven bags, which were tagged according to the names of the local governments and submitted to the commission. Apparently, the recall petition showed that Yagba West had the highest number of voters asking Senator Melaye to return home from the senate.

As breakdown published showed that the percentage of voters demanding a recall included Yagba-West 55.7%, Lokoja 54.8%, Kogi, 52.77%, Yagba-East 52%, Ijumu 51.8%, Mopa/Moro 50.4% and Kabba/Bunu 46.7%. Cornelius Olowo, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress in Ijumu, who led the delegation to Inec,  insisted that the constituents were not satisfied with the quality of Senator Melaye’s representation.

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