An attempt by Senator Dino Melaye to stop his recall process, has met with serious obstacles as an Abuja High Court has just dismissed Melaye’s suit which sought to stop his recall process.
The
Senator who represents Kogi West in the upper legislative chamber had
approached the court in June of 2017; in a bid to stop his recall.
A total of 188, 580 constituents from Kogi West had moved for Melaye’s recall.
On June 21, 2017, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed that it had received the signatures from Melaye’s constituents.
The commission then slated August 19 for the verification of the signatures from Kogi West. Soon after, however, Melaye said the signatures had been forged by the Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and his team. Melaye added that the petition contained the names of dead people.
Melaye thereafter proceeded to the Abuja High court presided at the time by Justice John Tsoho, to halt the recall process. The Judge then asked INEC to halt the recall process pending determination of Melaye’s application.
In
its ruling today, the High Court said contrary to Melaye’s application
which stated that he hadn’t been granted fair hearing, the constitution
doesn’t require a special provision that compels INEC to grant the
senator fair hearing.
The court, now presided over by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, thereafter
ruled that Melaye be handed the recall petition, schedule of signatures
attached to the petition and the list of persons who want the senator
recalled, within two weeks.
By today’s
ruling, the Melaye recall process will now pick up from where it had
stopped before the judiciary was brought into the unfolding scenario.