Low turnout as INEC begins recall of Melaye

The recall process of Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, is currently taking place across 560 polling units in the senatorial district.

The senator’s constituents submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last year, seeking his recall from the upper legislative chamber.

The lawmaker had challenged the move to oust him in court but two months ago, an appellate court sitting in Abuja gave INEC the nod to continue with the process.

Consequently, INEC released a timetable for his recall and the verification of signatures was scheduled for Saturday.

However, the exercise is being marred by low turn out of voters and unverified signatures.

When TheCable visited some of the polling units in the senatorial district, some of Melaye’s constituents said the exercise which was scheduled to start at 8am commenced an hour after.

Some people also complained that they could not participate in the exercise “because we are told our signatures do not match what they have”.

In some other polling units, only few persons had been attended to — at least two hours after the exercise started.

At polling unit 010, beside Kogi post office in Lokoja, not a single signature had been verified on the register two hours after the exercise begun.

The INEC staff on ground told TheCable that “missing names and unverified signatures” were part of the challenges they had been experiencing.

An INEC official, who gave his name as Chidi, said: “Since when we started at 8:30am, we have not been able to verify one signature. And some people’s name are not even on the list.”

Ahmadu Mamman, a supporter of Melaye, who interrupted the conversation said: “It shows the people do not want the recall to be done. Of all of them that have come here, not a single electorate has their signature matched with what is on the register,” says Ahmadu Mamman, and agent of Melaye at the unit.

“It shows the signatures were manipulated. Some of them said they weren’t the ones that signed the signature.”

There was also apathy at polling units 012, ward B when TheCable visited there around 10:30am.

“We left INEC office at 8:30am but we waited for another one hour before people started coming out,” said an INEC official at the unit.

“We have attended to only 20 persons in over two hours.”

A woman whose signature did not correspond with the one on INEC register, was seen begging the electoral officials to “check again.”

“Madam, we have told you. This does not match the signature we have, sorry we can’t attend to you. We only have business with those we have their signature,” an official told her.

Melaye is currently in the hospital over injuries sustained for jumping out of a moving police vehicle.

The police had arrested and was conveying him to a court in Lokoja for a gun running case when he attempted to escape.