INEC returns to court over Melaye’s recall

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will return to court on Thursday to request the substituted service of the recall petition and documents on the Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye.

The Commission said this became necessary after efforts to formally serve Senator Melaye the petition it received from his constituents to recall him met a brick wall.

INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity Department, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, made this known on Tuesday night.

He said officials of the commission and the bailiff of the Federal High Court had stormed the Senate to serve Senator Melaye, but his office was locked.

Osaze-Uzzi, in a phone interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Channels Television’s programme ‘Politics Today’, said: “Well, the bailiff of the Federal High Court, on behalf of the commission, went to attempt to serve Senator Melaye this afternoon, but Senator Melaye refused to accept service from the bailiff of the court.”

Consequently, officials of the commission and the bailiff dropped bags containing the petition and accompanying documents in front of the office and waited for several minutes to serve Senator Melaye.

Osaze-Uzzi explained that the development meant that the commissioner will head back to court.

“You will recall that in his statement he said documents were not made available to him. We have tried to make the documents available to him through the court and the court bailiff but he has declined to accept the service.

“So, on Thursday we will report back to court what has transpired and probably ask for substituted service,” he said.