The independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has written to senator, Dino Melaye, notifying him of a petition signed by over 188,000 voters in Kogi west constituency requesting for his recall.
In a statement by its spokesperson on Thursday, INEC confirmed it had received the petition on Wednesday and written the senator about it.
“The Commission has formally acknowledged the receipt of the petition to the petitioners’ representatives and has conveyed a letter notifying Senator Melaye of our receipt of the petition,” Mallam Haruna, an INEC National Commissioner said in the statement.
INEC statement reads:
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held its regular weekly meeting today and considered the petition submitted by some registered voters from Kogi West Senatorial District to kickstart the process of recalling Senator Dino Melaye.
In accordance with the INEC guidelines for the recall of members of the National Assembly, the Commission has formally acknowledged the receipt of the petition to the petitioners’ representatives and has conveyed a letter notifying Senator Melaye of our receipt of the petition.
The next step is to verify that the petitioners are registered voters in the Kogi West Senatorial District.
INEC will, on the 3rd of July, 2017 issue a public notice stating the day(s), time, location and other details for the verification exercise.
Mr. Melaye has however, condemned the recall move, saying it would fail and was being sponsored by Kogi State Governor Yahya Bello.
Should Mr. Melaye’s recall succeed, he would be the first senator ever recalled in Nigeria’s history.
