Dino Melaye Asks Court To Stop INEC From Conducting Kogi West Senatorial Election

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Kogi West Senatorial rerun election, Senator Dino Melaye has filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the Kogi West supplementary election, slated to hold on Saturday, November 30, 2019.

Melaye said he decided to approach the court after INEC failed to consider his petition asking for the electoral body to cancel the supplementary election over what he described as intimidation of voters and violence in the first conduct of the poll.

In a letter addressed to the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, dated Thursday, November 28, Melaye accused the electoral commission of not considering his petition, a development which led him to seek legal redress.

The letter also indicated that Melaye, through his counsel, filed a suit on Wednesday, November 27, seeking for an interim and interlocutory injunction restraining INEC from proceeding with the supplementary election of the Kogi West senatorial district.

The Motion Ex parte is seeking for the following reliefs:

“1. AN ORDER for an interim injunction restraining the defendant, its privies, agencies, proxies, fronts, staffers, or hirelings howsoever called from conducting the supplementary election for the few polling units in the Kogi West senatorial district of Kogi state, scheduled to hold on 30th November, 2019, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction.

2. AND SUCH further order or orders as the honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”

Melaye’s counsel, told the INEC chairman that the matter has been assigned to Justice Ekwo for hearing, adding that the commission is expected to status quo ante until the matter is determined by the court.

See a copy of the letter below which was posted by Melaye via his Twitter handle, @dino_melaye:

INEC should respect this. pic.twitter.com/FFGQV6Vp2u

— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@dino_melaye) November 29, 2019

Page 2 pic.twitter.com/bsGU7ykZaQ

— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@dino_melaye) November 29, 2019

Page 3. pic.twitter.com/uweVuUgyT4

— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@dino_melaye) November 29, 2019