Court Okays Dino Melaye’s Recall Process
The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal has okayed the reccall process of Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West senatorial District of Kogi state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had suspended the process after the lawmaker filed a suit to challenge the bid to remove him from the upper legislative chamber.
Melaye, through Mike Ozekhome, his lawyer, asked a federal high court in Abuja to declare the petition submitted to INEC on his recall as illegal and unconstitutional.
He also asked the court to nullify the recall, saying it breached his rights.
On September 28, Nnamdi Dimgba, a judge of the federal high court in Abuja, ordered that the recall of Melaye be moved to the court of appeal.
Dimgba gave the directive after INEC withdrew a motion seeking an order of the court to allow it serve the recall petition on Melaye through substituted means rather than personal service.
He struck out the motion after Yusuf Ustaz, INEC’s lawyer, announced its withdrawal in court.
The judge subsequently directed all issues pertaining to the case be taken to the court of appeal.
In a judgment by a two-member panel of the court of appeal led by Mohammed Mustapha, a judge, the court ruled that there is no time limit to complete the recall process.
