INEC Set To Verify Signatures, As Dino Melaye’s Recall Problem Worsens

Agency ReporterApril 25, 2018

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the recall process of the senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye.

INEC on Wednesday announced the commencement of verification exercise of voters in his constituency.

This follows the Appeal ruling which gave INEC the go-ahead to carry out the exercise.

The exercise scheduled for Saturday 28th is in line with the constitutional provision that 50+1 registered voter must be confirmed to have signed the recall petition register.

The Kogi state resident electoral commissioner, Professor James Apam in a press conference on Wednesday in Lokoja said that the commission has put all necessary modalities in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

“The verification exercise which is the first in the line of activities to be carried out in a recall process will be done on 28th April 2018 in 560 polling units in the Kogi west senatorial district,” he said.

INEC Federal Commissioner, Mr Mohammed Haruna, made the disclosure at a stakeholders meeting on Wednesday in Lokoja over the commencement of the recall process.

He explained that the verification exercise would hold in 552 polling units in seven local governments under Kogi West senatorial district.

According to him, the verification will hold from 8 am to 2 p.m. using the card reading machines to authenticate the voter cards of those that signed the recall petition.

“Only those who signed the petition are expected to turn up at their polling units for verification,” Haruna said.

Also speaking, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Prof. James Apam said that local observers would be allowed to monitor the exercise.

Professor Apam said that the result of the exercise would be announced on Sunday when the collation is expected to have been concluded.

According to him “The result of the verification exercise would determine whether or not to proceed to the next stage which is a referendum. ”

Senator Dino Melaye who is currently in police custody on charges bothering on alleged gun running has also been having a running battle with the Kogi state government.

The resident electoral commissioner said that Senator Dino Melaye has been duly informed while stakeholders meeting was held on the 25th, April to inform them of these processes.

He disclosed that the commission will be engaging the services of over 2,000 ad-hoc staff while all the security agencies have been enlisted and have promised to ensure a hitch-free exercise.