Senator Dino Melaye Loses Appeal, Fresh Election Ordered

The lawmaker representing Kogi West at the Nigerian Senate, Senator Dino Melaye, has lost his appeal on the tribunal judgment that sacked him as a senator in August.

YaahooJournalist recalls that the election of Senator Melaye was nullified August 23 by the Kogi State National Assembly/State Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Senator Melaye was declared the winner of the Kogi West Senatorial election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in February.

The lawmaker, who contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 85,395 votes to defeat Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 66,901 votes, according to the results declared by INEC.

Apparently displeased with the outcome of the election, Senator Adeyemi approached the tribunal which in turn, ruled in his favour August 23.

A three-man panel led by Justice A. O. Chijioke in a unanimous judgment accepted Adeyemi’s ground and ordered for reelection into the Kogi West senatorial district.

Displeased with the judgment of the tribunal, Senator Melaye approached the Appeal Court to appeal the ruling of the Justice Chijioke led tribunal.

However, the Appeal Court, on Friday, October 11, upheld the judgment of the tribunal and ordered a fresh election within 90 days in the Kogi West Senatorial district.