By Friday Idachaba/Kola Adeyemi
Against apprehensions that Card Readers might malfunction and mar the recall process of Sen. Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West), verification officers have confirmed their effectiveness in the exercise.
Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the poor turn out that characterized Saturday’s bid to recall Sen. Melaye signified a total rejection of the Gov. Yahaya Bello-led administration in Kogi State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who monitored the verification exercise in Lokoja and Kogi Local Government Areas on Saturday also confirmed adequate security and peaceful conduct of the exercise.
The polling Officer at Ukwo-Okoriko Compound, Ward A, Unit 003, Koton-Karfe, Musa Iliasu and Sen. Dino Melaye verification agent at the unit, Imam Sani said the cards readers did not malfunction throughout the exercise.
At Banda, Oworo Ward 8, Unit 012, Johnson Salifu also confirmed the functionality of the card reader.
However, he regretted that only 40 petitioners were verified out of the 512 that appended their signatures for the recall of Sen. Melaye at about 12:09 pm.
Patricia Aifakokhan, the NYSC Polling Officer at Lokoja Ward B sharing the views of her contemporaries in other units confirmed that the card readers functioned perfectly.
Aifakokhan said only 42 out of the 850 petitioners from the unit came out to verify their signatures.
NAN reports that the verification exercise generally witnessed low turnout as only nine signatures were verified at Lokoja Ward A, unit 015, Amole compound with 1461 registered voters and 450 petitioners.
At Crowther Memorial College, Lokoja, Ward A, unit 012 with 1507 registered voters and 805 petitioners, only eight came out to verify their signatures.
At Agbaja, Lokoja local government some voters protested their inclusion on the petitioners’ list. They claimed it was done without their consent and that their signatures were forged.
Administrator of Kogi LGA, Mohammed Tanko Musa, said he was impressed with the orderly conduct of the exercise adding that though the township witnessed low turnout, reports from the hinterlands would be different.
“The general apathy that greeted the exercise, in spite of government efforts to mobilise people to participate, is a clear indication that the APC has lost relevance in Kogi,” PDP said in a statement signed by Mr. Dickson Achadu, Director, Research and Documentation.
The statement was issued on Saturday in Lokoja, shortly after INEC conducted its verification exercise for the recall process.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise witnessed a very low turn out with some polling units in Lokoja, Kabba, Ijumu and other local governments recording zero votes.
In Kabba, INEC officials were threatened by youths, while some women and youth groups sang songs praising Dino Melaye and vowing to resist any attempt to disgrace him out of office.
The PDP, while accusing Bello of trying to force the idea on the people, said that the rejection of the recall process had confirmed that he had lost value in Kogi.
It thanked leaders and people of Kogi West senatorial district for heeding its call to shun the exercise.
“The failure of the recall exercise is an indication that the present administration is not popular which, of course, is only natural because it has inflicted poverty, hardship and suffering on the people,” the statement said.
The PDP accused the state government of being insensitive to the plight of the people, and condemned the Bello-led administration for several months of unpaid salaries and pensions.
“It is unfortunate that in spite of the massive resources available to the present administration, no visible development has been witnessed in the last three years.
“The failure of the recall process is a signal that the people have bid the administration goodbye.
“We want to advise Bello to start packing his load; the red card signal is clear. It is an indication that Gov. Bello and his APC’s time in Kogi is up,” the statement said.
