…As Melaye Could Become First Serving Senator To Be Recalled
By ‘Dotun Akintomide
Senator Dino Melaye is now standing on the edge of a precipice as 188,588 voters, representing 52.3 per cent of the total number of registered voters in Kogi West senatorial district have approved the recall of the controversial senator, The New Diplomat learned on Monday.
Announcing the figure at the All progressives Congress State Secretariat in Lokoja, the returning officer for the recall of the serving senator, Adamu Yusuf explained that out of 360,098 of the total registered voters at the Kogi West Senatorial District, 188,588, signed the recall register constituting 52.3% of the voters in senatorial district.
The Kogi West senatorial district comprises of Yagba, Mopa Muro, Kabba Bunu, Yagba East, Koton Karfe, Lokoja and Ijumu.
Yusuf while giving a breakdown of the recall exercise noted that for Yagba East – out of 35,331 registered voters, 18,374 (52%) signed the recall of the serving lawmaker.
Others are Mopa 18,356 voters (9,186 signed comprising 50.04%), Kabba Bunu 60,522, voters (28,277 signed making 46.7%, and Yagba West out of 35, 966 registered voters 20,029 signed signifying 55.7%.
Lokoja local government recorded the highest with 63, 736 (54.8%) voters recalling the senator out of 116, 296 registered voters.
For Koton Karfe 24,703 (52.77%) voters penned their signature while in Ijumu out of 46,819 registered voters, 24, 238 depicting 51.8% passed a vote of no confidence on the senator to represent them in the National Assembly.
”Going by the above figures, it is important to let Nigerians know that we have met the Constitutional requirements of 51.1%. Dino has failed to represent Kogi West so we are calling him back home,” Yusuf added.
It was also gathered that the seven Local government administrators constituting Kogi West were all present during the exercise.
If the recall exercise gets the nod of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) as it was being constitutionally supported by Section 69 of the 1999 constitution, Senator Melaye could become the first serving Senator and by extension, lawmaker in the country that will be forced out of the Senate through the power of voters’ recall.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to kogi state governor on political affairs, Mr. Pius Kolawole while commending the exercise on Monday in Lokoja said that the collation of signatures of voters to that effect was carried out successfully on June 17.
Kolawole commended voters in the district for turning out en masse for the exercise, saying that Section 69 of the 1999 constitution backed their action.
“In 2015, we voted for Dino and now we are using the same method to return him home,” he said.
