The embattled senator representing Kogi West Senatorial district in the Nigerian Seante, Dino Melaye has alleged that the signatures collected to effect his recall and forwarded to INEC were forged. The Senator said this on Sunday while addressing newsmen in Lokoja. The senator, who spoke through one his legislative aides, Malam Abubakar Sadiq described his recall process as fraudulent. He claimed that investigations had revealed that even the dead signed the recall across the seven area councils of the senatorial district.
He specifically pointed out that the name of a former governorship aspirant of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, late Chief Rotimi Obadofin precisely from Iya-Gbede axis was on the list.
“Let me also sound authoritatively that here in Lokoja Local Government Council, several others whose names and signatures appeared on the list of the signatories to this failed exercise were identified and known to us as being dead long before now.
“Such people like late Abdullahi Abubakar, his immediate younger sister late Halima Lawal Abubakar and Ibrahim Adama of Unit Code 021, Adankolo Ring Road in Ward ‘A’, Lokoja Local Government Council.
Also one late Salihu Black of Gegu-Beki town, Kogi Local Government Council who until his death was a biology teacher in Government Secondary School, Koton-Karfe, also appended his signature on the recall list, Melaye added.
“This recall exercise was hatched in Kogi Government House due to the manner in which Senator Dino Melaye consistently challenges and engages the government over non-payment of workers’ salaries and pensioners for over 15 months; and also the constant closure of tertiary institutions,” he stated.
Mr. Melaye also questioned how over 188,000 signatories of electorates in Kogi West could have been gotten when the total vote cast, both valid and rejected, in the last senatorial election of 2015, was only 111, 000 for all the candidates that contested the election.
However, Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi quickly responded through his chief Press Secretary, Mrs Petra Onyegbule and advised Senator Melaye to stop worrying about INEC.
He said that facts about the constituents were with INEC, which had the responsibility of verifying the signatures.
“There is nothing for the distinguished senator to be worried about. INEC has set July 3, for the public verification of signatures and the date is around the corner; there is no point burning their energies all over the place.”
The governor also said that it was not true that there signatures were collated in Government House Lokoja.
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