Recall: Melaye hails low turnout for signee verification as victory from God

 

The Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye has decribed as a victory from God, the low turnout on Saturday for the signature verification exercise as part of the recall process being conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his district.

Melaye who is still on admission at the National Hospital Abuja spoke through his media aide Gideon Ayodele.

The senator in a statment issued by Ayodele on Saturday night, said the entire recall process and his case with police are politically motivated.

According to the statement, Melaye has reasons to be thankful to  God and his constituents, for the poor turnout at various locations in his district as he couldn’t mobilise his supporters to monitor the process from his sick bed.

The statement read in part: “The chain of events from last Monday to this day are enough for one to be grateful to God Almighty and all Kogi people both at home and in diaspora, including friends of Senator Dino Melaye outside the Confluence State and all over the world, for standing behind the Senator in this trying times.

“Needless to say that all allegations against him by the police are politically-motivated and the timing of his maltreatment and harassment was carefully planned to prevent him from mobilising support against the purported recall of his representation of Kogi West from the Senate.

“God manifested Himself by using the good people of Kogi West senatorial zone to stem the tide against him by making the cup to pass over the Senator even in his absence.

“Despite his current travails, his inability to mobilise his constituents and also deploy agents to monitor  the signature verification exercise, countless number of supporters volunteered to do it without minding the associated risks posed by the Kogi State Government”.

Melaye warned that INEC must release results that reflect the true situation of things as reported by witnesses.

“It is therefore important for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to act truly independent by announcing a result that truly reflects the wishes of the majority electorate of Kogi West as demonstrated today.

“No doubt, to recall a representative is guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as the right of the electorate, what the good people of Kogi West and other lovers of democracy outside the state, who are praying for Senator Dino Melaye, have done is to stop an instigated and purported recall against him because it is undemocratic, self serving and beneficial to only a few.

“It is pertinent to say here, that though the battle for the recall has been won and lost, the safety of Senator Dino Melaye in the hospital as heavily guarded by the Police since Tuesday is a cause for concern even as we decry the arrest, continued detention and trial of his brothers, aides, friends and lawyers on trumped-up charges by the police.

“We appeal to all Nigerians of good conscience to continue to help us pray for the safety and immediate freedom of Senator Dino Melaye so that he can return to his family and duty post – responsive representation of his people in the Senate – because his victory over the purported recall today will certainly spite his traducers and they may devise new ways of rubbishing him for no just cause”, the statment read.