Senator Dino Melaye Begs Court To Stop INEC From Conducting Referendum

Senator Dino Melaye has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from conducting any referendum aimed at recalling him from the Senate.

Barely days after members of his constituency collected over 52 percent of the registered voters on a petition asking INEC to recall the senator, INEC said it will begin the process of the recall on July 3.

But Melaye, in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/587/2017 filed by his attorney, Mike Ozekhome, asked the court to declare the petition submitted to INEC “illegal, unlawful, wrongful, unconstitutional, invalid, null, void, and of no effect whatsoever.”

Senator Dino Melaye also asked the court to nullify the process of his recall as it breached his fundamental human right to fair hearing.

The senator also pleaded with the court to deal with the matter urgently. The affidavit of urgency deposed to by a litigation secretary in the law firm of Ozekhome also asked the court to restrain the defendant from “acting on the said petition.”

Melaye also described the petition as sponsored in the affidavit.

“That in the last National Assembly election conducted in March 2015, the total number of votes cast in both valid and invalid votes was about 115,000 out of the total registered voters. 

“That the numbers of signatories on the petition purportedly submitted to INEC far exceed the total number of both valid and invalid votes cast at the last general election. 

“That he knows as a matter of fact that this raises serious doubt as to the authenticity of the entire process and the alleged petition itself. 

“That except by physical verification of all the signatures, the defendant cannot determine the authenticity of the alleged signatures in the purported petition. 

“That he knows as a matter of fact that the purported petition asking for his recall was politically sponsored and without any basis whatsoever. 

“That he was reliably informed by one T. Ayeni, that the recall form with a copy of INEC Register was given to him to transfer some of the names in the INEC register to the recall sheet and forge the signatures therein. 

“That they also gave him some money, and that the form and money were given to him by the ward Chairman, Ayiyetoro Gbede Ward in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.”