A significant step towards the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West continues today with the verification of signatures of signatures of petitioners in 552 of 560 polling units in seven local governments comprising the Senatorial district.

Under the law, the entire recall process is expected to be concluded in 90 days (three months) that is by the end of July 2018, Senator Melaye would have known his fate whether he is continuing as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or would have been sacked.

With today’s exercise, INEC would be able to confirm if the petition has been signed by more than half (50 percent) of the total registered voters in the Senator’s constituency of Kogi West and also ascertain if it is in line with the laws, regulations and guidelines for Recall.

If the verification exercise succeeds, INEC may proceed to the next stage which is the conduct of a referendum where every voter in the district will be expected to participate by voting yes or no.

Senator Melaye has made spirited moves to prevent the recall process from going ahead. He recently lost his case challenging INECon the recall at the Court of Appeal but he immediately signified his interest to contest the matter up to the highest Court of the land which is the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Senator Melaye’s move to stop the process from going ahead got a boost from an unusual quarter yesterday. Opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) directed its members in Kogi State to vote against the recall during the verification of signatures of petitioners holding today. In a statement in Lokoja on Friday, the party said that it was not in support of the recall of Melaye from the beginning.

Mr Dickson Achadu, the PDP Director of Research and Documentation, who signed the statement, described the attempt to recall Melaye as a product of an internal crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, the party said it was in support of the senator’s agitation for good welfare for workers and the downtrodden, adding that the state had been made a laughing stock. The statement urged INEC and security agencies to guard against being used in the plan to forcefully deny Kogi West quality representation at the senate.

The party further urged its members to remain peaceful and law-abiding but refrain from submitting to intimidation and inducement by the sponsors of the recall.

The Police have assured that the exercise would be peaceful and violent free. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Ali Janga, in a statement, the petitioners and members of the public to cooperate with the security agencies to ensure that criminal elements do not hijack the process.

Senator Melaye who has been having brushes with the security Agencies recently, may not witness today’s verification exercise as he is currently hospitalized in Abuja, following injuries sustained when he allegedly jumped out of a vehicle taking him to Kogi state to be interrogated on alleged gun-running case following statements allegedly made by criminals who are already in Police custody.