Recall: Court to decide Melaye’s fate Sept 11

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed September 11 for judgment on the two merged suits challenging the recall of Senator Dino Melaye by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba had on August 7 merged the suits personally filed by Senator Melaye (APC Kogi West) and that by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, both opposing the activation of the recall process.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, Melaye’s counsel, Nkem Okoro, urged the court to grant the reliefs to stop the recall process for contravening the provisions for recall set out in Sections 1(1) (3), 36, 68 and 69 of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended as well as Order 3 Rule 6 of the Federal High Court Rules.

Okoro argued that Melaye was not afforded fair hearing by the electoral umpire following its receipt of a petition purportedly signed by 188,000 voters in the constituency. He maintained that the number was not up to half of the registered voters as required by law, adding that most of the purported signatories were nonexistent, dead and forged.

But counsel to INEC, Suleiman Ibrahim and counsel to some of the signatories to the petition, Anthony Adeniyi, both asked the court to discountenance Melaye’s objection for lack of merit. Amob yesterday stormed a den of suspected ritualists at Ile-Zik area of the old LagosAbeokuta expressway and set ablaze two suspected members of the gang. Sources said that the victims were lynched on the suspicion that they were members of a ritual gang selling human parts.

Pandemonium broke out when news of the discovery of yet another ritualiststunnel at the bus-stop went round the metropolis.

Though, the police command had earlier dismissed the claim of another ritualists’ den saying that those found residing in the secluded area were destitute, but witnesses told Daily Trust that they saw human parts among items recovered from the area.

Immediately the news of the lynching broke out, the Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), ACP Tunji Disu led a squad to the area with a view to rescuing the supposed suspect.

However, they arrived late as they watched the charred remains of the deceased persons by the road side.

Residents of five villages, namely Imshe, Ikogbo, Ipatir, Igbo-Odo and Agelete in Ejila Awori Area of Agbara Igbesa, Local Council Development Area of Ogun State, seek government’s intervention against the demolition of their houses yesterday PHOTO:...