INEC Notifies Dino Of Recall Petition, Sets July 3 To Announce Verification Of Petitioners

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has notified Senator Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, on recall petition it has received from his constituency.

THE WHISTLER reported on Wednesday that the electoral body received over 188,000 signatures of eligible voters from Mr. Melaye’s constituency demanding for his recall.

INEC in a statement signed by its National Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, said the decision to notify the lawmaker followed a meeting held at its headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

The electoral body said it will verify the petitioners and will on July 3 publish details of the verification process of all the signatories to the petition.

The statement reads: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held its regular weekly meeting today and considered the petition submitted by some registered voters from Kogi West Senatorial District to kickstart the process of recalling Senator Dino Melaye.

“In accordance with the INEC guidelines for the recall of members of the National Assembly, the Commission has formally acknowledged the receipt of the petition to the petitioners’ representatives and has conveyed a letter notifying Senator Melaye of our receipt of the petition.

“The next step is to verify that the petitioners are registered voters in the Kogi West Senatorial District.

“INEC will, on the 3rd of July, 2017 issue a public notice stating the day(s), time, location and other details for the verification exercise.”

Meanwhile, Senator Melaye late Wednesday condemned his recall move, saying it is a political witch-hunt from Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

Should Mr. Melaye’s recall succeed, he would be the first serving senator ever recalled in Nigeria’s history.