The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has released the timetable for the recall of Senator Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi west senatorial district.
Secretary of the commission, Augusta Ogakwu, said on Friday.
The recall process will begin on March 27, with the posting of the notice of verification at the commission’s local government area office in Lokoja, Kogi state capital, the timetable indicated.
The last day for interested observers to submit application at INEC headquarters in Abuja is April 4.
Verification will hold on April 28 in all polling units in the constituency, while outcome of the exercise would be announced on the 29th, he said.
INEC had received the 188,588 signatures out of the 360,098 registered voters in Kogi West representing 52.3% percent required for the recall of Senator Dino Melaye.
Section 69 of the Constitution stipulates how to recall senators.
It states that “(1) A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives may be recalled if –
“(a) there is presented to the Chairman of the INEC a petition in that behalf signed by more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency alleging their loss of confidence in that member ; and
“(b) the petition is thereafter, in a referendum conducted by the INEC within 90 days of the date of receipt of the petition, approved by a simple majority of the votes of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency.”
Melaye had in June last year described his recall process as a hoax.
He posted on facebook that, “It cannot succeed. It is a hoax and absolute comedy of errors. I’m laughing at the stupidity of the Kogi State Government. Many appointees will go to jail for forgery. Even dead people’s names (are) on the recall register. A governor who does not know what double registration is may not as well know the procedure for recall. Every lie has an expiry date. This comedy of errors will soon end. No shaking at all. This won’t solve the problem of not paying salaries for over 15 months. No retreat, no surrender. Truth is my only defence.”
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