• Dino Melaye
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, Tuesday accepted the close of defence of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Dino Melaye in the case brought by Smart Adeyemi challenging the election of Melaye as the senator representing the Kogi West Senatorial District.
At the resumed hearing of the case, APC and Melaye had brought three witnesses to counter the allegations of the petitioner (Smart Adeyemi) that the election was fraught with irregularities and that the APC candidate never participated in any party primary election before he contested for the general election.
But a witness brought from the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Abuja office, Ibrahim Sanni Mohammed stunned members of the Tribunal when he said the commission monitored the conduct of the APC primary election contrary to the stand of INEC office in the state which was documented via the INEC lawyer, that Melaiye did not participate in the party primary before was presented as the APC candidate.
While under cross examination by Adeyemi’s counsel, Olakayode Olatoke(,SAN) ,the witness said the supeana summoning him to the tribunal was addressed to him directly rather than being addressed to the commission to nominate witness as it used to be.
The witness under cross examination also said he did not know the INEC official that conducted the primary but was only availled the report of the exercise, mentioning two different locations where the primary was conducted.