INEC Posts Notice Of Melaye Recall Amidst Court Order Stopping The Process

The Independent National Electoral Commission has chosen to go ahead with the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye. This the commission says is based on precedents and judicial pronouncements.

The commission yesterday pasted a notice at its state office in Lokoja on the verification of the recall process of the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the upper house of the National Assembly.

The National Commissioner of INEC in charge of North-Central, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, said the Court of Appeal had since 2001 decided that a court cannot stop the recall of a lawmaker.

Although, “pasting the verification notice is just the first leg of the process which cannot hurt Melaye in any way. Even the process does not amount to removing the senator,” a source within the commission who spoke on condition of anonymity has stated.

Meanwhile, INEC said on Monday that it had been served with an order of a Federal High Court, Abuja, which asked the commission and Melaye to maintain status quo in the suit the lawmaker filed to challenge his recall process.

The Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, who spoke on phone stated that the commission received the order on Monday.

Oyekanmi said the Legal Services Department of the commission was studying the order, adding that it would form the basis of INEC’s position on the matter.

He stated that the electoral umpire had not taken a decision on whether to halt the ongoing recall process of the senator or not as the commission had just received the order on Monday.

Oyekanmi added, “I was told this morning that the court papers have arrived at the Legal Services Department; so, the response would be forwarded to the commission for determination.

“The legal department is studying it and it will make a recommendation on it.