Lalong, Okoye, Jibril — lawmakers whose recall bids failed. Will Melaye’s case be different?

What Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west senatorial district, described as “a comedy of errors” might as well lead to his exit from the red chamber, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Monday for the commencement of his recall.

Two weeks ago, the commission notified Melaye of the petition from his constituents and said it would issue a public notice stating the day, time, location and other details for the verification of signatures collected against him.

If the process to remove him scales through, Melaye would be the first legislator to be recalled.

Four previous attempts have been made to recall lawmakers with all failing, largely because the referendums conducted in that respect did not meet the requirements.

GEORGE OKOYE

The first shot at recalling a lawmaker started in 2000 with Okoye, a member representing Njikoka-2 constituency in the house of representatives.

After legal tussles between the lawmaker and INEC, the commission proceeded with the process but a low turnout of registered voters expected to ‘stamp the quit notice’ stalled it.

SIMON LALONG

Lalong, then speaker of the Plateau state assembly and current governor of the state, was next in line.

A representative of Shendam constituency, his constituents initiated a process to recall him.

Although he attempted to stop it when he filed a suit, alleging that the signatures collected for his recall were “not genuine and authentic,” the commission was later able to proceed with it.

But his recall process failed. Just as in the case of Okoye, the required number of voters needed for the recall could not be found.

FAROUK ALIYU

There was also the case of Aliyu, then member representing Birnin-Kudu/Buji federal constituency of Jigawa in the house of representatives.

Like in the previous cases, less than the required number of voters turned up in the referendum.

UMAR JIBRIL

Next in line was Jibril, a member representing Lokoja/Kogi/Koton Karfe federal constituency, whose constituents had reportedly said they no longer want as their representative.

However, his was smeared in controversies as some of the constituents filed a counter-petition to INEC, alleging that their signatures were forged and as such they were not in support of the recall process as originally claimed.

Looking at these previous attempts, one begins to wonder what will happen to the ‘Ajekun Iya’ senator. Melaye has been raising the alarm that the names of dead people are on the recall list, but his opponents are adamant.

What do they say is his crime? The constituents, led by one Cornelius Olowo, said the move to recall Melaye is based on his “abysmal performance”.

“In the last two years, some senators have been meeting with their people quarterly. They update them on what has been happening and seek their contributions on issues and their aspirations to be presented to the senate,” he once told reporters.

“For the past two years, Melaye has not organised one town hall meeting anywhere in Kogi west to meet with the people to present his scorecard or stewardship.”

Melaye is not taking the issue lightly, as he filed a suit to stop the recall process at a high court in Abuja.

In an originating summons he filed through Mike Ozekhome, his lawyer, the lawmaker asked the court to declare that the petition brought forward by his constituents was “illegal, unlawful, wrongful, unconstitutional, invalid, null and void and of no effect in law”.

He also asked the court to issue an order of injunction restraining INEC from commencing the process of his recall.

The last heard from INEC is that the process will commence on Monday. Will the controversial legislator join the league of lucky lawmakers who escaped recall or have his name go into the history book as the first senator to be sacked by his constituents?