An Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, while dismissing an application filed by a senator, Dino Melaye, against his planned recall, queried the failure of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include the details of the petition, when it eventually informed Mr. Melaye about the recall, wondering how the electoral body “expects Mr Melaye to defend himself.”
Mr. Melaye had approached the court in July to challenge a decision of Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, to commence a process for his recall, following petitions filed by members of the Kogi West senatorial constituency where the lawmaker represents.
The presiding judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, ordered that a copy of the petition, the signatories to the said petition, as well as the supporters of the recall process be made available to the applicant within two weeks before the next amended date of commencement’ of the recall.
The court decided that the 90-day benchmark for the referendum on Mr. Melaye’s removal from office would continue from Monday, September 11.
Melaye has blamed the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for being behind the petition seeking his recall from the Senate.
