- Governor Yahaya Bello reportedly asks political appointees to refund mobilisation funds given to them to facilitate Melaye’s recall
- Some of the appointees allegedly visit spiritual homes to seek help with a view to retaining their jobs
- Attempt to recall Dino Melaye fails as INEC verifies only 5% of signatories
Governor Yahaya Bello has reportedly concluded plans to sack some of his aides following the failed attempt to recall Senator Dino Melaye who represents Kogi west senatorial district.
The Guardian, citing a source, reported that the governor threatened to sack his aides who hail from Melaye’s senatorial district over the botched recall.
The newspaper also stated that Yahaya Bello may also coerce them to return the mobilisation funds given to them to facilitate the failed process.
A source told the national daily that the state government allegedly disbursed about N200,000 for distribution to petitioners in each of the 552 polling units where the signatures verification exercise took place with each of the aides mobilised for logistics.
However, the some petitioners who earlier favoured Melaye’s recall were said to have failed to append their signatures as the appointees reportedly pocketed the mobilisation funds without doing the needful.
NAIJ.com learn that 51% of the signatories were needed at the weekend to continue the recall process to the next level of referendum but only 5.34% was eventually gotten.
Following Bello’s alleged threat to sack the aides, some of the appointees have been said to be secretly visiting spiritual homes to seek help with a view to retaining their jobs, while others have gone underground.
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But the governor’s spokesperson, Kingsley Fanwo, dismissed allegations that Bello was angry over the failed recall and had asked for refund
“It is funny to claim that the state government mobilised people for Melaye’s recall. I am a government official and I did not given a dime for the process so it is blatant falsehood as far as we are concerned,” he said.
NAIJ.com had reported that the attempt to recall Senator Dino Melaye has failed after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) verified only 18,742 of the 189,870 signatories.
According to Channels TV, the recall process which happened on Saturday, April 29 witnessed a low turnout as only 5.34% of the 351,146 registered voters in the Kogi west senatorial district appeared.
50% plus one of the signatories is what is expected for the verification process to succeed.
Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti who is the declaration officer for the exercise said the result did not satisfy the requirement for a referendum.
Kogi West senatorial district to recall senator Dino Melaye from the Nigerian Senate on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng
