188,588 signatures collated for Dino's recall

Moves to recall Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West from the National Assembly thickened yesterday, as the pro-Dino’s recall group claimed it had gathered 188,588 signatures out of the 360,098 registered voters in Kogi West, representing 52 percent required for his removal.
This came on the heels of a Dino support group describing the recall process as a ‘comedy’.

Spokesperson for the group, Pius Kolawole, who made the disclosure at All Progressives Congress, APC, secretariat, Lokoja, said the group was pleased by the signatures collated so far, which he described as a “favourable response”.
Kolawole said the figure was reached last Saturday, which was collated at the Senatorial headquarter in Kabba.
His words: “The law stipulates 51 percent for the recall. In Mopamuro council, with 18,356 voters, 9,186 signatures were collated, representing 50.4 percent; Kabba Bunu (60,522 voters), 28,277 signatures were collated, representing 46 percent; and in Ijumu, of 46,819 voters, 24,283 signatures were collated, representing 51.8 percent.
“Others are Yagba West: 20,029 signatures were collated from the 35, 966 voters; Kogi council, 24,703 out of 46,186; while in Lokoja, of 116,296 voters, 63,736 signatures were collated, representing 54.4 percent.
“These signatures will now be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who will in turn proceed on the verification of the signatures, local government by local government.”

It’s a comedy—Pro-Dino
However, a pro-Dino group, Coalition of Enlightened Voters, in Yagba Federal constituency distanced members from the recall, describing it as a ‘comedy.’
The group, in a statement entitled Yagba People Not Part of Senator Dino Melaye Recall Farce, by Kehinde Abayomi, Yagba East; Temitope Olajide; Yagba West; and Adebayo Michael, Mopamuro, said: “We dissociate Yagba people in the three local government areas of Yagba West, Yagba East and Mopamuro, and the 34 electoral wards in Yagba Federal Constituency, from the farce tagged recall process.
“We note that the comedy falls short of the expectations of the drafters of the relevant law on the recall of a parliamentarian. It is not in our character as Yagba people to orchestrate the recall of elected representatives, especially when such a project is not founded on proven allega-tions of misrepresentation or non-performance.
“Our findings showed that the recall process did not emanate from the electorate, but is a sponsored enterprise based on political malice, initiated by interests outside Kogi West Senatorial District and anchored by state and local government appointees.”