Recall: Senate rebukes INEC

The Senate on Tuesday scolded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for heeding to the clamour  by constituents of Kogi West Senatorial District to recall the senator representing them, Dino Melaye.

Specifically, the upper legislative chamber noted that efforts of the electoral body to remove the controversial lawmaker is null and void without recourse to it.

On Monday, the Commission (INEC) had released schedule for the verification exercise for the recall of Melaye.

According to the timetable, the result of the verification exercise will be declared on August 19 2017, after its conduct same day.

In a statement signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Augusta Ogakwu, the commission said the process will begin on July 10 with the notice of commencement of verification exercise to be posted at the Constituency (INEC LGA Office Lokoja) and end with the declaration of the outcome of the verification on August 19.

But the legislative body insisted that laid down procedures were not followed in line with constitutional provisions.

This followed a Point of Order moved by the embattled lawmaker at plenary.

Melaye who drew the attention of the Senate to alleged “supersonic move” of INEC to conclude work on recall petitions written against him by some of constituents allegedly sponsored by the State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

He derided the result of the signature gathering saying majority of the signature collected were fake.

He said: “The score of both valid and invalid votes in the election that brought me into the Senate in 2015 was 118,000 but my governors and his appointees in four days claim they got a signature of over 188,000.

“Eighty-six of my constituents have sworn to an affidavit that they were approached that the government wants to carry out a fertilizer empowerment programme and requested for their PVCs and thereby deceived into putting their names in the recall register”.

In his contribution, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who cited  sections 68, 69 and other relevant provisions  of the 1999 constitution (as amended), to buttress his argument, wondered why INEC refused to follow laid down procedure of carrying out the exercise.

In his remarks, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, declared that the Senate has the ultimate say in deciding whether the lawmaker will be recalled or not.

 

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja