INEC receives 52.3% signatures asking Dino Melaye's recall

The political crisis rocking Kogi state on Wednesday reached a new height, with the promoters of Senator Dino Melaye recall crusade reportedly amassing 188,588 signatures out of the 360,098 registered voters in Kogi West.

The number of signatures  which represents 52.3% percent required for the recall of Senator Dino Melaye according to the reports has been submitted to the National Electoral Commission for further actions.

 Reports have it that six bags contained the signatures of the electorates were submitted to the electoral body on Wednesday. Recall that on Monday, the Special Adviser to the state governor on political affairs, Mr. Pius Kolawole had announced the results of collated signatures in Lokoja while addressing party members from the district.

He had said that the collation of signatures of voters to that effect was carried out successfully on June 17.

Kolawole had also commended the voters in the district for turning out en mass for the exercise, saying that Section 69 of the 1999 constitution backed their action. “In 2015, we voted for Dino and now we are using the same method to return him home,” he had said.

Announcing the result of the collation, the Returning Officer, Mr. Adamu Yusuf had also said that 188, 588 out of the 360,098 in the senatorial district endorsed Melaye's recall. While giving the breakdown of the result per the seven local governments in the district, Yusuf had said 18, 374 of the total number of 35,331 registered voters in Yagba East approved the recall.

Others are 9, 186, out of 18,356 voters in Mopa-Muro local government, 24, 703 out of 46, 810 voters in Yagba West, 63,736 out of 116,296 in Lokoja Local Government and 24,283 out of 46,819 in Ijumu Local Government.

He had also added that in Kabba/Bunu Local Government, 28,277 out of 60, 520 voters endorsed the recall, while 24,703 out of 46,810 voters in Kogi Local Government voted for move to recall Melaye.

According to Yusuf, with this, the next move was to submit the document to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the next action and today, the signatures have been submitted to INEC.