By Adedapo Adesanya
Senator Dino Melaye has been unseated as the Senator representing Kogi West, following a decision by the Kogi state national assembly/state assembly election tribunal.
In a judgement delivered on Friday, the tribunal led by A.O. Chijioke ordered a re-run in the district for the filling of the vacant senatorial seat.
Looking back, Smart Adeyemi, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the February 26 election, had approached the tribunal and challenged Melaye’s victory on the grounds that there were cases of irregularities including over-voting and non-compliance with the electoral act.
“We’ve decided to fight the results of the elections in the tribunal court because constitutional injustices must not be allowed to stand,” Adeyemi who was the Kogi west senator between 2007 and 2015 said in an April 17 tweet on the candidate’s handle – @SenSmartAdeyemi
Mr Melaye has since reacted to the ruling saying there would have been a fresh election in the axis since he was assured of winning the gubernatorial election scheduled to hold later in the year.
He wrote in response to the via his Twitter handle – @dino_melaye: “On Tribunal judgement. No cause 4 alarm at all. Even if it went my way they will still go to the Appeal Court. Our mandate can not be taken. We will get judgment at the Appeal Court. There will be a fresh election in Kogi West bc I will be Governor. For my Senate mandate no shaking,”
Business Post gathered that a date for the new election hasn’t been decided as at the time of filing this report.
