The elaborate move to recall Sen. Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, has failed as the verification exercise could not meet the constitutional requirements.
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the results released at the INEC office, Lokoja, in the early hours of Sunday said only 5.34% signatures were verified.
At least 50% or one half signature verification is needed to move to the next stage of the recall process.
According to the result read and released by the Resident Electoral Commissioner from Benue State, Professor Ukertor Gabriel, the total number of registered voters in Kogi West was 351,140.
Total number of petitioners’ signatures collated for recall was 189,870 while only 20,868 signatories were present for accreditation.
He, however, said only 18,743 number of signatures were verified for the recall.
According to the INEC Commissioner, the constitutional requirements and percentage needed to effect the recall of Sen Dino Melaye by the petitioners could not be met, ”consequently and in the light of the above, having failed to meet the constitutional requirements by law, INEC, declared the petition as failed, invalid, and ineffective.”
The commissioner added that the petition is also not qualified for a referendum which would have been the next stage.