Recall: Melaye rejects Appeal Court ruling, moves to S/Court

The member representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, has rejected the judgement of an Appeal Court on his recall process by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Melaye, who faulted the judgement on Friday hours after it was delivered, vowed to appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court. Following series of legal tussles between the lawmaker and the electoral body, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal cleared the coast for INEC last week to continue with the recall process of Senator Melaye.
The nod was given in the lead judgement read by Justice Tunde Awotoye, who led two other justices of the appellate court. The court held that the 90 days stipulated by the Constitution within which a recall process could take place, “has no time limitation”, stating that the lower court ought not to have entertained Melaye’s suit ab initio.
In a unanimous decision, the court dismissed the appeal fi led by the lawmaker against the judgment delivered by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in 2017, on grounds that there was no cause of action. Hours later, Senator Melaye was quoted to have told newsmen thus; “ I’m finalising the process of appealing the judgment at the apex court.