- Says commission determined to conclude process
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that it will go ahead with the process of recalling the embattled lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, in spite of speculations that it may discontinue the procedure.
INEC rather assured that Melaye’s recall process would soon commence. The commission said that it would ensure that due process was followed in the procedure for recalling the lawmaker in line with the request already made by voters in his Kogi West Senatorial District constituency.
More than 188,000 (about 52.3 per cent) of the over 500,000 voters in the district have already petitioned INEC, demanding the recall of Senator Melaye.
INEC Chairman’s spokesman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanki, told our correspondent in an exclusive chat that the rumour about the commission being under pressure over Melaye’s recall should be discountenanced.
Oyekanmi said that the commission was committed to ensuring that the case was attended to as requested by the voters in Kogi West.
“In the first place, it is not true that INEC is under any pressure to drop the case. What we are doing is ensuring the electoral law and INEC guidelines,” he said. He also said that the commission would be diligent in carrying out the process, which would commence early next month.
“When we want to process somebody’s recall, there is a procedure. The process is in steps. In the first process, those who claimed to be in the voters register in Kogi West Senatorial District, where the man comes from, gathered some signatures and said they wanted the man recalled.
“The documents are here, the register and the signature, and we received them. The next step is to verify those signatures, and what do you mean by verification? We will check our own list of registered voters in Kogi West and compare with what they have done. That is the next step. Until we do that, you cannot go to the next step. So, we have now set July 3rd for that purpose; that is where we are and that is the process we are going to follow. Melaye’s case is not the first. We have had several like that in the past,” Oyekanmi said.
He also denied that INEC had received any court notice from Senator Melaye over the matter.
“With regard to Melaye’s lawyer serving us a court notice, I am not aware of that. You know we had a long holiday and we are just resuming today. So, I am not aware. As I speak with you, there is nothing like any lawyer serving us a court notice. Of course, when they serve us, then we can respond,” spokesman said.
