Melaye survives Senate exit scare as INEC declares Kogi West senatorial election ‘inclonclusive’

Sen. Dino Melaye has survived a shock scare of possible final exit from the Senate as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the election held to fill the vacant seat of Kogi West Senatorial district in the Senate, on Saturday, as ‘inconclusive’.

INEC made the decision on the grounds that the lead margin between Smart Adeyemi, who polled 80,118 votes, and Dino Melaye who got 59,548 is 20,570 was lower than the 43,127 registered voters in 53 polling units of 20 Registration Areas in the zone.

According to the report, the Returning Officer, Prof. Olayinde Lawal, who made the declaration, said the law did not permit him to declare a winner because of the lead margin between the leading candidates.

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 He revealed that INEC would announce a new date for the conduct of a supplementary election in the 53 polling units before a winner can be returned.

Melaye had earlier rejected the results of the Kogi West Senatorial District rerun polls released by the INEC.

Melaye described the results as ‘fake and unacceptable’ to him.

Melaye had told journalists, in Abuja that, “The innovation is that what we had is what I have christened ‘Helicopter election’.

For the first time, rigging has been advanced to the level that now the use of a helicopter in perpetuating this electoral atrocity manifested yesterday.”