Reports have shown that many constituents from Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye’s senatorial district shunned the INEC verification exercise on the lawmaker’s recall held on Saturday. The exercise was planned to take place in 560 polling units that make up the senatorial district.
Online news platform, TheCable said some constituents told it the exercise slated for 8am began much later. Those who spoke said the officials told them their “signatures do not match what they have”.
The report also said only few persons had been attended to in some polling units.
At polling unit 010, beside Kogi post office in Lokoja, not a single signature had been verified on the register two hours after the exercise begun.
The INEC staff on ground told TheCable that “missing names and unverified signatures” were part of the challenges they had been experiencing.
An INEC official, who gave his name as Chidi, said: “Since when we started at 8:30am, we have not been able to verify one signature. And some people’s name are not even on the list.”
Ahmadu Mamman, a supporter of Melaye, who interrupted the conversation said: “It shows the people do not want the recall to be done. Of all of them that have come here, not a single electorate has their signature matched with what is on the register”.
“It shows the signatures were manipulated. Some of them said they weren’t the ones that signed the signature.”
There was also apathy at polling units 012, ward B.
“We left INEC office at 8:30am but we waited for another one hour before people started coming out,” said an INEC official at the unit.
“We have attended to only 20 persons in over two hours.”
A woman whose signature did not correspond with the one on INEC register, was seen begging the electoral officials to “check again.”
“Madam, we have told you. This does not match the signature we have, sorry we can’t attend to you. We only have business with those we have their signature,” an official told her.
Credit: TheCable
