INEC RETURNS TO COURT TOMORROW OVER DINO MELAYE

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it will go back to court to seek directives after a senator, Dino Melaye, avoided being served official papers on his recall process.

Mr. Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, is battling a recall process instituted by some of his constituents who in a petition on June 23 called for his removal.

Officials of the electoral body on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly complex to formally notify him of the developments in the petition.

INEC recently resumed the recall process after a court ruled against the senator who tried to stop the recall.

On Monday, Mr. Melaye tried to justify his refusal to accept the court papers, saying accepting any “purported’’ petition from INEC would amount to breaching the 1999 Constitution (amended).

He said that the “The 90 days period as provided for in the Constitution for conducting the referendum after our verification, elapsed on Sept. 23, 2017.”

Following his initial refusal, officials of INEC on Tuesday moved to serve him the documents in respect of the petition.

The lawmaker was reportedly in the Senate chamber when the officials arrived.


Copies of the court papers were reportedly dropped at the door of Mr. Melaye’s office, which was locked when the electoral commission’s officials arrived.

The spokesperson of INEC, Rotimi Oyekanmi in a reaction said he could not ”speak on legal matters” when asked what would be the next line of action by the commission.

But in a phone chat with PREMIUM TIMES, INEC’s Director of Publicity and Voters’ Education, Oluwole Ozzi, claimed that the embattled lawmaker ”ran away” to avoid being served. He added that the electoral body would drag him to court over the matter again on Thursday.

“We tried to serve him but he refused service and ran away,” he said.

INEC had on Monday, September 18, after the court gave it a go-ahead, issued an amended timetable and schedule of activities regarding the recall of the vocal lawmaker, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

It would be recalled that the commission had also released a timetable for Mr. Melaye’s recall last July, but a court order, following a suit instituted by the senator, halted the process.

In the latest move to serve the lawmaker the latest court ruling and relevant documents, officials of INEC reportedly visited Mr. Melaye’s office, number 2.13 on the second floor of the new Senate wing but met it locked.

The commission claims the lawmaker has been deliberately avoiding being served, a claim the senator has not denied but tried to justify

Earlier, INEC officials were seen in strategic locations in the Senate wing waiting for Mr. Melaye while senators were in a closed session.

The speed with which the embattled lawmaker came out of session attracted a crowd who had gathered to see the turn of events. It could not be ascertained though where he went after leaving the Hallowed Chambers.

The embattled senator has linked his current travails to his consistent criticism of his state governor, Yahaya Bello, whom he fell out with.