INEC Reacts As Appeal Court Sacks Dino Melaye

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it may conduct the Kogi West Senatorial district election alongside the Kogi State Governorship election.

This was made known to newsmen by the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Kogi, Nasarawa and Kwara States, Mohammed Haruna, in Lokoja on Friday.

He said that since the governorship election was still 34 days away, there was possibility for the election to hold same day.

Naija News had reported earlier that the Kogi West lawmaker lost his appeal on the tribunal judgment that sacked him as a senator two months ago.

This online news platform recalls that the Kogi State National Assembly/State Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, nullified Senator Melaye’s election in August.

Senator Melaye was declared the winner of the Kogi West Senatorial election by INEC in February.

The results declared by INEC showed that Melaye, who contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 85,395 votes to defeat Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 66,901 votes.

Apparently displeased with the outcome of the election Adeyemi approached the tribunal which in turn, ruled in his favour on Friday.

A three-man panel led by Justice A. O. Chijioke in a unanimous judgment accepted Adeyemi’s ground and ordered for reelection into the Kogi West senatorial district.

Displeased with the judgment of Justice Chijioke’s led tribunal, Senator Melaye approached the Appeal Court to appeal the ruling.

However, on Friday, October 11, the Appeal Court maintained the judgment of the tribunal and ordered a fresh election within 90 days in the Kogi West Senatorial district.