Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye has reacted to the ruling by the Appeal Court that affirmed the verdict of the election petition tribunal which ordered fresh senatorial elections in Kogi West Federal Constituency.
The appellate court which held that there were discrepancies in the dates contained on the results sheets produced by INEC.
It therefore ordered INEC to conduct fresh election in some parts of the Senatorial District within 90 days.
While reacting to the ruling, Melaye, in a tweet called for calm just as he expressed confidence that he shall ‘overcome’
I just lost my election at the Appeal Court and Fresh election ordered. In all things I give God the Praise. He who started a good thing will definitely complete it. I ask my supporters to be law abiding as we shall always overcome. To God be the Glory.
— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@dino_melaye) October 11, 2019
The Kogi State National Assembly/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal had in August voided INEC’s declaration of Melaye as winner of the Senatorial election.
However, Melaye approached the Appellate Court on three grounds that the court should set aside the ruling of the tribunal.
Melaye insisted that the tribunal failed to evaluate the testimonies of its witnesses and no recourse to the documentary evidence he submitted to the tribunal.
He also said it was wrong for the Tribunal to cancel the election based on over voting rather than voter register as required by law. He also held that the claim of mutilation of result sheet was untenable because the final result of the senatorial election was endorsed by agents of the candidates and the parties and that the petitioners failed to establish that the alleged mutilated result substantially affected the final result collation.
Smart Adeyemi and the All Progressives Congress APC on their part argued that INEC breached an order of the federal high court that the senatorial election result must be collated and announced in Kabba, the senatorial district headquarters and not in Lokoja as done by INEC .
