By Boluwaji Obahopo LOKOJA—Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, said, yesterday, that the proposed verification for recall
of Senator Dino Melaye would go on as
scheduled on Saturday. Sen. Dino Melaye Senator Melaye is currently on
admission at National Hospital, Abuja, following injuries sustained as he
allegedly attempted to avoid being taken to Kogi for trial by the police. But
Kogi State State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. James Apam, who stated
this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lokoja, said the commissioner would remain
unbiased on the outcome of the exercise. He said: “The verification exercise,
which is the first in the line of activities to be carried out in a recall
process, will be done on April 28, 2018, in 552 polling units in Kogi West
Senatorial District out of 560 (since there were no petitions in eight polling
units), while the declaration of the outcome of the exercise will be done at
the lNEC local government area office in Lokoja on April 29, 2018. “On the
appointed day, the verification shall commence at 8 am and end at 2 pm in the
polling units in the senatorial district, provided all petitioners are on the
queue by 2 pm. “Only those who signed the petition are expected to turn up at
their polling units for verification. It is also important to state that
according to the Constitution and Electoral Act, the petition would only be
said to have been verified if at least 50 per cent plus one of the signatures
or thumb prints of the registered voters in the constituency are verified. “For
this to be done, the petitioners must appear personally at their polling units
for the exercise. “We have concluded all arrangements in line with our schedule
of activities and are set for the exercise. The ad-hoc staff have been trained at
the state and local government levels and materials procured and sent to the
Registration Area Centres ready for movement to the polling units on the day of
verification.” Apam said the card reader will be used to verify the
authenticity of any petitioners who showed up for the exercise, adding that
there will be no use for manual accreditation.
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