Embattled Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district of Kogi State, Senator Dino Melaye has alleged that the acclaimed figures of signatories
Embattled Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district of Kogi State, Senator Dino Melaye has alleged that the acclaimed figures of signatories collected for his recall were forged and fraudulently forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Dino who is the Chairman Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory noted that their investigation revealed that even the dead signed the recall across the seven local government councils of the senatorial district and that the name of the former governorship aspirant of the All Progressive Congress, in the state late Chief Yakubu Rotimi Obadofin from Ijumu local government council precisely Iya-Gbede axis was included in the list.
“Let me also sound authoritatively that here in Lokoja local government council, several others whose names and signatures appeared on the list of the signatories to this failed exercise were identified and known to us as been dead long before now, such people like late Abdullahi Abubakar, his immediate younger sister late Halima LawiI Abubakar and Ibrahim Adama of Unit Code 021 Adankolo ring road in Ward ‘A’ Lokoja local government council.
“Also one late Salihu Black of Gegu-Beki town in Kogi local government council who until his death, was a biology teacher in Government Secondary School, Koton-Karfi also appended his signatories on the recall list. This recall exercise was hatched in government house due to the manner in which I have consistently challenged and engaged the government of Kogi State over non-payment of workers’ salaries and pensioners for over 15 months so also the closure of tertiary institutions,” Dino Melaye said.
Senator Melaye added that they claimed to have gotten over 188,000 signatories of electorates in Kogi West whereas the total vote cast in the last senatorial election of 2015 was merely 111,000 for all the candidates that participated at the election both valid and rejected votes.
“For God sake how could they have gotten such figures, where people were not seeing in most of the polling unit visited during the said purported exercise,”he alleged.
In a swift reaction, the governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello while reacting to the allegation said Senator Dino Melaye should stop worried about INEC.
The governor who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mrs. Petra Onyegbule Akinti said, “The fact about the people that registered is with INEC, INEC has the responsibility of verifying the signatures so it has nothing to do with the Kogi State Government.There is nothing for the distinguished senator to be worried about. INEC has set July 3rd for the public verification of signatures and the date is around the corner, there is no point burning their energies all over the place.
“We should all allow INEC to do the needful so there is nothing to get my reaction for it should be the INEC people.”
On the alleged collation signatures in Government House she said it was absolutely false because there was no day signatures were collated in Government House.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is not aware of any suit filed by Senator Melaye asking the court to stop the process of recalling him from the senate. The Constitution stipulates that INEC should commence a process of recalling a lawmaker if at least 51 per cent of the registered voters in the senator’s constituency signs a petition for his recall.
The commission’s director in charge of Voter Education, Publicity, Civil Society and Gender Liaison, Oluwole Osaze-Uzi, said they were not aware of any lawsuit filed by Melaye.
“We have not been served. We shall enter an appearance and defend what we have to defend (when served with the notice). But for now, we cannot start reacting to comments or statements we read in the media,” Osaze-Uzi said.
Punch
