Discrepancies as INEC begins Melaye’s recall process

The verification exercise for the recall of Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, from the upper legislative chamber witnessed a low turnout on Saturday.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced that the exercise would take place in 560 polling units across the senatorial district.

Last year when Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, raised the alarm that some of the signatures collated for his recall were those of dead persons, not many people took him seriously.

The senator had said: “Let me also sound it that here in Lokoja local government council, several others whose names and signatures appeared on the list of the signatories to this failed exercise were identified and known to us as being dead long before.”

The issue died down after a federal high court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend the process.

However, following another court ruling, INEC began the process of verifying the “188,000 signatures” of constituents who were said to have signed the recall petition, on Saturday.

The exercise was marred by irregularities such as apathy, late arrival of electoral officials and unverifiable signatures.

A visit to some of the polling centre by National Daily shoed that while some of the names on the register were not signed, some of the names on the register were those of people who are dead.

At polling unit 6, ward A, some constituents said they could identify names of the dead on the recall register.

Meanwhile, National Daily could not independently verify their claims. One of such “deceased” persons was Musa Umoru with voter card number: 90F5B04920295994341, said to have died “for more than five years” and whose profile reads ‘business.’

Another is Abubakar Ameh, said to have died three years ago, with the voter card number: 90F5B049202955134330 also into “business”; as long as well as Abubakar Zainab, with voter card number: 90F5B04920295430341, said to have died two years ago.

There is also one Mohammed Okoko, a former judge who, according to the constituents, died in 2014, and whose name was featured on the register.

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Some of the names on the register did not have accompanying signatures or thumbprints. Among those in this category are Abu Hassana, Nelson Sunday and Mgbede Sunday.

At piling unit 6, ward A, Abu Hassana and Abu Saratu whose names were following each other, had one fingerprint against their names, same with Achimugu Katrine and Achimugu Abraham.

The observations, if confirmed to be true, may mar the recall process and in the end, affect its outcome.

Ahmed Biambo, head, voter education and publicity, at INEC office in Kogi, had not responded to inquiries made by TheCable as of the time this report was filed.