The end has not come to the lingering crisis brewing in Kogi West Senatorial district over the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye as 18 registered voters from Kogi west senatorial district on Friday filled two applications before the Abuja Division of the Federal High court.
One application is an experte motion seeking three order of the court to grant an injunction for all parties in the matter to maintain “status quo ante bellum” in respect of the recall pending the determination of the substantive suite. An order of court to preserve the subject matter of the suite pending the final determination of the substantive suite and such further order as the court may deem fit. One of the plaintiffs, Olowosayo Sunday Gabriel supported the motion with twenty-five (25) paragraph affidavits.
The second application is an originating summons with five questions for determination and four reliefs sought from the court. The questions are;
1. Whether the purported signatures collected including that of a dead voter reflects the true wishes of the people of Kogi West.
2. Whether the inclusion of names that are unaware of any recall doesn’t amount to forgery and gross misconduct.
3. Whether the 1st respondents can act on a forged signature and give effects to Section 69 of 1999 constitution among others.
The reliefs sought are;
1. A declaration that the purported signatures collected is fraught with irregularities, fraudulent, illegal and void abi initio
2. A declaration that 1st respondent cannot act on forged signature to give effects to the provisions of section 69 of 1999 constitution
3. An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st respondent, her agents, officers and privies from acting on the petition.
It would be recalled the INEC has officially taken the receipt of the signatures even though a source alleged that the number of the permanent voters card collected as announced by INEC is not up to the number of people who were alleged to have signed for the recall, a situation that made the petitioner to have alleged a possible collusion of INEC and the people seeking recall as PVCs were seen in thousands packed up during the signature taking process.
The source of the thousands PVCs gathered together is what the people on the recall mission must prove before the court.
Those joined in the suite are the Special Adviser to Kogi state governor on Political matters, Hon. Pius Kolawole, Special adviser on Youth and Students, Hon. Adeola Eseyin, Security Adviser to the Governor, Navy Commander Jerry Omodara Rtd and all the seven local government administrators in Kogi West.
