Tribunal sacks Dino Melaye as Kogi senator

By Baron Ike

Controversial Senator Dino Melaye has been sacked by  the Kogi State National and State Assembly Elections Tribunal sitting in Lokoja.

The tribunal ruled in Friday that senator Melaye was not properly elected to represent the Kogi West senatorial district in the February 2019 election.

It therefore ordered that a fresh election be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the area within 90 days.

Armadanews.com has learnt that Melaye has indicated interest in appealing the ruling.

According to NAN erports, Senator Melaye said on Friday that he will appeal the judgment of the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal which nullified his election as senator representing Kogi West in the Nigerian Senate.

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

A three-man panel led by Justice A. O. Chijioke in a unanimous judgment ruled in favour of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Smart Adeyemi’s petitions and ordered for reelection into the Kogi West senatorial district.

But, Melaye in a tweet shortly after the annulment by the tribunal vowed to appeal the judgment noting that his challenger would have also challenged the ruling if he was in his shoes.

“On Tribunal judgment: No cause 4 alarm at all. Even if it went my way they will still go to the Appeal Court. Our mandate cannot be taken.

“We will get judgment at the Appeal Court. There will be fresh election in Kogi West bc I will be Governor. For my Senate mandate no shaking.”