Kogi Tribunal: Witness Testifies Against Dino Melaye, INEC

The Kogi state National Assembly election petition tribunal on Thursday, September 17, held that the counsel to Independent National Electoral Commission, Salako Adeolu, had the right to cross examine a witness who had said officials of the commission recorded invalid votes in favour of Senator Dino Melaye during the March 28 general election.

Dino Melaye

Senator Dino Melaye who represents Kogi West senatorial district in the 8th Senate contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

The Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the election, Senator Smart Adeyemi is challenging the declaration of Melaye as the winner of the senatorial seat for Kogi West constituency at the tribunal.

According to Vanguard report, Adeyemi, the petitioner called the first witness, Feinti Dada who was his agent at the poll. Dada said the poll was marked with irregularities across the 21 units of five wards in Lokoja local government area of the state.

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In a cross examination Dada disclosed that the result of the recount ordered by the tribunal showed that INEC recorded voided votes during the election in favour of Melaye

In his testimony, the witness noted before the tribunal that some members of the APC had gone to court to challenge the candidacy of Senator Melaye since there was no primary election in his party producing him as the flag bearer for the senatorial contest which he said was evident in INEC’s document in line with the claim.

Adeyemi’s counsel, chief Lateef Fagbemi objected to the move by Salako Adeolu, counsel to the election commission who however rose to cross examine the witness.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that since the commission withdrew its response to the petition, it should not cross examine Dada.

The counsel argued that since the election commission had misused the opportunity given to it to make a defence, the tribunal not to allow the cross examination by INEC counsel.

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Arguing against the prosecuting counsel’s stance, counsel to INEC, Salako told the court that he should be allowed to cross examine the witness owing to the fact that spurious and damaging allegations had been levelled against the commission

Salako suggested that the only option available to the Kogi election tribunal was to strike out the petition.

The tribunal in its ruling, however, said as far as INEC was a party in the case, it had the right to cross examine the witness but could not call any witness on its own, since it had withdrawn its response to the petitioner’s motion.

Some days ago, the people of Kogi West gave a 30 days ultimatum to the Kogi state government for immediate correction of the marginalisation of their people.

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