Inec publishes timetable as move to recall Senator Dino Melaye from National Assembly gathers pace

KOGI West's Senator Dino Melaye ongoing political saga took a turn for the worse yesterday when the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) published a proposed timetable for his recall from the National Assembly.

 

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 political plot by his opponents led by Kogi State governor Yahya Bello.

 

Already, Senator Melaye has gone to court to tray and halt any further action against him but for now, Inec's secretary Augusta Ogakwu, has issued a recall timetable on behalf of the electoral body. According to Mrs Ogakwu, on August 19, Inec will conduct a verification of signatures of petitioners demanding the recall.

 

Inec would on the same day then declare the outcome of the verification at its local government office in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.  Mrs Ogakwu said that the commission would also on July 10, paste verification notice at its Lokoja office.

She equally set July 30, as the last day for the submission of applications by interested observers, who would want to particulate in the exercise. Mrs Ogakwu also said that the commission had fixed August 10 as the last day for the submission of names of verification agents for both Senator Melaye and the petitioners.

Inec has then scheduled a stakeholders’ meeting to take place on August 15, at its Lokoja office. Sections 69 and 110 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999  Section 116 of the Electoral, Act 2010 and empower the commission to conduct a referendum for a recall process.

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