Melaye loses at tribunal, heads to appeal court

The national assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Smart Adeyemi as the senator representing Kogi west district.

Adeyemi defeated Dino Melaye, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the rerun poll of November 16.

He polled 88,373 votes to defeat Melaye who secured 62,133 votes.

However, Melaye petitioned the tribunal seeking to be declared as the winner of the election.

He had urged the tribunal to order a fresh election on the grounds that the election was marred by irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral act.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, the three-man panel unanimously dismissed the petitioner’s prayers.

The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to prove that the election was marred by inconsistencies, over-voting, violence and non-compliance with the standard of the electoral act.

The tribunal also held that the 71 witnesses called by the petitioners contradicted themselves during cross-examination and made “worthless, unreliable and unmerited statements” that cannot be relied on.

Consequently, the tribunal declared Adeyemi as the duly elected senator representing Kogi west.

Meanwhile, Melaye has said he will appeal the verdict of the tribunal.