INEC Sets Timetable On Melaye’s recall

 

 

 INEC Sets Timetable On       Melaye’s recall 

                                 

By, Olu Omorege

 

Consequent upon the receipt of a petition duly signed by over one half of the presumed registered voters in Kogi West Senatorial District, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, 22nd,2017, calling for the removal from the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the gentleman presently representing the District, Senator Dino Melaiye.

                   

                                                                        Senator Deno Melaye

 

The electoral body on Monday 3rd July, 2017, therefore commenced the historical actions to remove the Senator, when Mrs Augusta Ogakwu in Abuja,the INEC Secretary, issued a timetable of the processes as required by the constitution of Nigeria.

       

The time table states that, come July 10, the body shall paste verification notice at its Local Government Office in Lokoja, for verification of signatures of petitioners demanding the  recall, which were submitted to the commission from all the polling units of the Senatorial District.

              

According  to the INEC scribe, on 19th August,2017, INEC shall conduct a verification of signatures of petitioners demanding the  recall through out the constituency and same day, shall also  declare the outcome of the verification at the INEC Office in Lokoja.

     

The timetable again shows that July 30, 2017 shall be the last day for the submission of application by interested observers, who would want to particulate in the exercise at the INEC headquarters.

               

Meanwhile the electoral body has fixed August 10, 2017 as the last day for submission of names of verification agents for the member sought to be recalled and the petitioners, timetable also provide fore a astakeholders’ meeting for the exercise and would hold on August 15, at INEC Lokoja office.

                            

Mrs Augusta Ogakwu further said, the commission, after verification exercise, shall

 issue the timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of a referendum, in line with Sections 69 and 110 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended); Section 116 of the Electoral, Act 2010 (as amended) and of all other powers enabled the commission to conduct a referendum for a recall process.

                                      

 

Although APC Watch, is reliably informed that, Mr. Melaye, has commissioned Mr. Mike Ozakhome, to file a suit at a Federal High Court in Abuja with No. FHC/ABJ/CS/587/2017 to  challenge the bid to recall him.

                     

This led  Mr. Ozekhome, to have Written the electoral body, as a way of putting INEC on notice over the existence of the suit and seeking to halt the body from commencing actions on the agenda, until the matter was finally disposed.