The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State has allegedly accused the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello of wasting over N5billion public fund on his failed plot to recall Melaye.
The party, which described Bello as, “heartless”, lamented that the over N5billion would have paid, at least, two months’ salaries of workers in the state.
Reacting to the boycott of last Saturday’s INEC verification exercise by the electorate, the PDP in a statement signed by Director, Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson, called for thorough investigation of the claim by some of the electorate who turned out for the exercise that their signatures were forged.
“Those who were involved in the petition submitted to INEC for the recall of Senator Dino Melaye must be arrested and tried for forgery,” the PDP said.
The party said the huge human and financial resources deployed to the “Dino Melaye must go” agenda would have made meaningful impact on the lives of the downtrodden in Kogi State, especially the workers that were being owed several months’ salary.
It declared that the open rejection of the recall agenda by the people of Kogi State was a clear signal that APC and Governor Yahaya Bello have been rejected in the state.
However, reacting to the allegations, the Chief Press Secretary to the Kogi State governor, Petra Akiti Oyegbule, said it was unfortunate that the main opposition party was coming out with another bunch of lies.
She denied that the governor has any interest in the recall of the embattled senator.
“It is high time media houses start holding people responsible and accountable for what they say. Right now, it goes beyond politics. It’s our responsibility, because people cannot just continue to fabricate issues when there are none. The governor will not be interested in spending any amount on Dino Melaye’s recall.
“Melaye, the only senator our party has in Kogi State, won with 94.66 per cent leaving the remaining 5.34 per cent to the petitioners.
“The messages are very clear; that Melaye is the most popular senator ever produced by Kogi West.
“No amount of financial inducement and coercion will change the will of the people of Kogi State in future elections,’’ the statement read.
Ametuo, however, commended the high level of neutrality and transparency displayed by the Independent National Electoral Commission and other stakeholders throughout the exercise.
“It gives us high optimism that future elections will be very free and fair. INEC therefore deserves commendations for the job well done,” he said.
The chairman called on the petitioners and Melaye as well as his followers to embrace peace and heed the voice of God, “because the voice of the people is the voice of God.’’
“I call on all members of our party to conduct themselves in a manner that will boost the image of our great party and not things that will further cause disrepute in our party,” he said.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, and the PDP in Kogi State, among others, have reacted to the failed recall exercise of Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West Senatorial District.
The Tide reports that the process of the recall of Melaye ended, last Saturday, after a low turnout of voters to the verification exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which carried out the verification in Kogi West, has already declared that the exercise was a failure after the signatures verification process to the petition for his recall fell short of requirements.
Reacting via his Twitter handle, Fayose said the result was a pointer to what 2019 would look like in the state.
He wrote, “The news coming from Kogi State is to the effect that tyranny has been defeated.
“This should be a pointer as to what to expect in 2019. Those youth they referred to as lazy will speak in 2019 just as I heard they have spoken in Kogi against the recall of Sen Dino Melaye.”
Also reacting, former aide, to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, and Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Murray-Bruce, also called the failed attempt to recall Melaye the triumph of democracy against autocracy.
Murray-Bruce wrote, “I hope the federal and state governments have learnt a lesson today. Fake popularity cannot match real popularity even when it is in a hospital.
“Grow up! Focus your efforts on improving the lot of Nigerians instead of focusing it on destroying your real and imagined enemies.”
Also, sharing a picture of Dino laughing, Reno wrote, “This picture reflects what @dino_melaye is doing to Buhari and his puppet, Bello right about now!”
Meanwhile, Sen Dino Melaye has thanked the people of his constituency for “rising to his defence” by shunning the verification exercise held on April 28, to recall him from the Senate.
Melaye, in a statement issued in Lokoja, yesterday, also thanked the political leaders, elders and traditional rulers in Kogi West for “rescuing him from his political enemies.”
He also expressed gratitude to the media, observers, civil society groups, security agents and other stakeholders “for resisting to be used against the wishes of the people of his constituency”.
The statement was signed by Special Assistant on Media to Melaye, Mr Gideon Ayodele.
“We thank all democratic partners who have resisted the attempted external political robbery and brazen impunity from raising its most ugly head.
“We commend the resolve of our people who have by their popular wish and wisdom and political independence rejected the selfish and satanic recall.
“The verification exercise has come and gone and the people of Kogi West have willingly exercised their franchise by re-validating the election of Sen Dino Melaye,” the lawmaker said.
According to him, the exercise no doubt, has shown that power truly belongs to the people.
“We wish to equally, commend INEC for resisting forgery in some parts while the exercise was going on, and for finally allowing the wish of the people to prevail as expressed,” it said.
He urged the proponents of his recall to accept the results in good faith and face the task of providing the elusive democratic dividends to the people.
The senator, however, advised his supporters to remain calm and humble in the face of victory and avoid hot arguments or action that may lead to the breakdown of law and order.
But the bid to recall Sen. Dino Melaye from the Senate has finally crashed as only 5.34 per cent of the total 188,500 signatories to his recall petition were verified in an exercise held on Saturday.
The result of the verification released early yesterday in Lokoja by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that 39,285 of the signatories were verified, out of which only 18,762 signatures were genuine.
The genuine signatories represent a dismal 5.34 per cent of the total signatories to the petition, which fell short of 51 per cent or 98, 364 signatures required for the petition to sail through.
It was observed that the verification failed largely due to fictitious and forged signatures and names of dead persons affixed to the recall petition by its promoters.
It would be recalled that some electorate in the Kogi West senatorial district had on June 24, 2017, submitted a petition to recall Melaye to the headquarters of the INEC in Abuja.
One Mr Cornelius Olowo led the petitioners to submit the recall petition which alleged poor representation as one of the reasons for the move to recall Melaye.
However, the INEC’s presiding officer for the verification exercise, Prof. Okente Morthy of the University of Abuja said that the number of signatures verified fell short of the number required.
He consequently gave the breakdown of the results of the verification exercise which took place in 552 polling units in seven local government areas in Kogi West senatorial district.
According to him, in Kogi Local Government with 46,727 registered voters and a total number of 24,459 signatures to the petition, only 2,335 were verified out of 2,566 signatures recorded during verification.
He said that at Kabba/Bunu Local Government with 59,319 registered voters and 27,910 petitioners, only 2,085 signatures were verified to be genuine out of 2,151 that came out for the exercise.
Also at Ijumu Local Government, with 46, 810 registered voters and 24, 389 petitioners, 2,664 were verified out of 2, 811, the returning officer announced.
According to Morthy, others are Yagba East, 35, 329 registered voters, 18, 229 petitioners while 3,506 were verified out of 3, 580 recorded at verification.
At Mopa-Amuro Local Government with 18, 350 and 9, 173, signatures, 710 were verified out of the 729 recorded.
However, the Returning Officer said that there was violence in six polling units at the Mopa town towards the end of the exercise, forcing INEC to nullify the exercise in the affected wards.
At Yagba West which has 35, 506 registered voters and 19, 444 signatories, only 3,729 petitioners were verified out of the 4, 221 that turned up, the returning officer stated.
In Lokoja Local Government with 109,105 registered voters and 66,266 petitioners, INEC said that 3,763 were verified out of the 4, 810 recorded during the botched verification exercise.
A registered voter at the polling unit on the premises of the Lokoja Club, Samuel Olokotun, protested against his wife’s name on the petition list, saying that the woman did not sign the recall sheet.
INEC said that it was not aware that Melaye was detained by the police.
The Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, told one our correspondents that INEC had received no official communication regarding Melaye’s detention.
He said INEC had only been hearing about Melaye in the media.
Osaze-Uzzi, however, said Melaye’s recall process would not be affected by his absence or presence.
The INEC official said, “I don’t know if he is in detention. You are the one telling me.”
INEC also said it cannot be held responsible for the poor turnout of petitioners in Saturday’s verification of signatures for the recall of Melaye.