Inec chairman reveals that N100m was spent on Dino Melaye's failed recalled attempt

INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (Inec) chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu has revealed that a total of N100m ($276,000) was spent on the failed attempt to recall Kogi-West lawmaker Senator Dino Melaye.

Earlier this week, an attempt to recall Senator Melaye failed amid reports that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State heavily funded the recall attempt. During the process, the governor's men were said to have to gather almost 200,000 signatures but last week, the recall attempt failed after Inec tried to verify the signatures and less than 10% of the names put forward were found to be genuine and authentic.

Professor Yakubu said: "A recall exercise is just like conducting a senatorial election and Kogi West which Melaye represents, has 552 polling units and seven local governments. Ad hoc staff were deployed in all the polling units.”

This comes as earlier today, the Kogi State chief judge, Justice Nasir Ajanah, granted an interim order for Senator Melaye to be transferred to the National Hospital Abuja, while hearing for his bail conditions will be heard on Monday. Giving the order at the high court in Lokoja today, Justice Ajanah explained that this was to enable the senator receive medical attention, following the lack of facilities at the police clinic in Lokoja where he is being held in custody.

Justice  disclosed that the interim order became necessary as the prosecution could not provide a federal prison in Abuja that has the required health facilities that will take care of Senator Melaye. He thus ordered the commissioner of police to be served with the order through his counsel in court.