Senator
Dino Melaye who is fighting for his dear life at an Abuja hospital, has
defeated his enemies after an attempt to recall him from the senate by
his constituents in Kogi West failed on Saturday.
The attempt to recall the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial
District, Dino Melaye, has failed after the verified signatories to the
petition for his recall fell short of requirements.
For the verification exercise to succeed, 50 percent plus one of the signatories to the petition had to be verified.
However, based on the results announced by Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti,
the Declaration Officer for the exercise held in the senatorial
district on Saturday, only 18,742 of the 189,870 of the signatories to
the petition for the Senator’s recall were verified by INEC.
The verified signatories represent 5.34 percent of the 351,146 registered voters in the Senatorial district.
After announcing the results, he declared, “I Professor Ukertor
Gabriel Moti, affirm that the information on verification of signatures
to the petition for the recall of Senator Dino David Melaye of Kogi
West Senatorial District has taken place on this day, 28th day of April
2018, and that the verified signatures is 5.34 percent of the total
number of registered voters in the constituency and has therefore not
satisfied a requirement of the law for a referendum.”
He said the results were signed by him and the two agents to the petitioners and the agent of Senator Melaye.
Low turnout
Saturday’s verification exercise came months after the petition for
Senator Melaye’s recall was submitted to INEC because of lawsuits filed
by the Senator challenging the petition.
A total of 189,870 signatories were on the petition, representing
54 percent of the 351,146 registered voters in the senatorial district
which is comprised of seven local government areas including Lokoja, the
state capital.
When the exercise was finally held on Saturday, it was
characterised by low turnout with some verification centres quiet hours
later. By the time the verification ended by 2 pm and collation of
results started talks of its failure had started spreading.
Although the exercise was largely peaceful, there was violence in
Mopa Amuro towards the end of the exercise. Six polling units were
reportedly affected. As a result, the exercise in six out of the 10
wards in the LGA were cancelled.
Consequently, the LGA had the least number of verified signatories
with 710 as against the 9,173 signatories that signed the petition.
The low turnout for the exercise was most evident in Lokoja, which
had the highest number of signatories on the recall petition – 66,266.
Out of that number, only 4,810 people showed up for the verification
with 3,763 verified.
Had the verification exercise been successful, INEC would have proceeded with the recall process by holding a referendum.
Unlike the verification exercise which is limited to signatories of
the petition, a referendum is open to all registered voters in the
constituency. A referendum is considered successful when more than 50
percent of registered voters in the constituency vote yes in support of
the recall petition.
Here is how the verification exercise turned out in the seven local
government areas in the senatorial district, which has 351,146
registered voters.
KOTON KARFE LGA
TOTAL NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS – 46,727.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES ON THE PETITIONS – 24,459.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES AT VERIFICATION – 2,566.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES VERIFIED – 2, 335.
KABBA BUNU LGA
TOTAL NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS – 59,319
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES ON THE PETITIONS – 27,910
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATORIES AT VERIFICATION – 2,151
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNAT7S VERIFIED – 2,085.
IJUMU
TOTAL NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS – 46,810.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURE ON THE PETITION – 24,389.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES AT VERIFICATION – 2,811.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES VERIFIED – 2,664.
YAGBA EAST
TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS – 35,329.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURE ON THE PETITION – 18,229.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES AT VERIFICATION – 3,580.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES VERIFIED – 3,506.
MOPA AMURO
TOTAL NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS – 18, 350
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES ON THE PETITION – 9,173.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES AT VERIFICATION – 729.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATARIES VERIFIED – 710.
There was violence in Mopa Amuro towards the end of the exercise.
Six polling units were reportedly affected. As a result, the exercise in
six out of the 10 wards in the LGA were cancelled.
YAGBA WEST LGA
TOTAL NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS – 35,506
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES ON THE PETITION – 19,444
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES AT VERIFICATION – 4,221
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATORIES VERIFIED – 3,729.
LOKOJA LGA
TOTAL NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS – 109,105
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES ON THE PETITION – 66,266.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES AT VERIFICATION – 4,810.
TOTAL NUMBERS OF SIGNATARIES VERIFIED – 3,763.
Source: Channels TV
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