DINO Melaye, a former senator who represented Kogi West in the Eight Senate says the Appeal Court verdict that dismissed his application on Tuesday did not in any way erase the rigging, killings and violence that dominated the rerun election in Kogi State.
Dino said this via his official Twitter handle on Tuesday while announcing his defeat at the Appeal Court in a suit challenging the victory of Smart Adeyemi, the incumbent senator representing Kogi West.
“I lost my election petition in the court of Appeal this afternoon. God is always right. He will do a new thing in His own time,” Melaye wrote.
“There will be a new order and the judgement did not in any way erase the rigging, bloodletting, killings and violence that dominated the election.”
Hinging his hopes on God, Melaye thanked his voters in the Kogi West Senatorial District where he was defeated by Adeyemi.
“I thank the ever courageous people of Kogi West who truly voted for me. I love you all and God bless you. God be praised forever and my Faith in Him remains constant(sic),” he added.
Melaye had filed an application at the Appeal Court challenging the declaration of Adeyemi as the winner of the Kogi West rerun election.
However, the Appeal Court three-man panel led by Ibrahim Saulawa on Tuesday dismissed the application ruling that Melaye’s case was incompetent.
Saulawa resolved that Melaye should pay a fine of N50,000 because the seven issues raised in the application had been resolved.
On December 1, 2019, Olajide Lawal, the Returning Officer of the Kogi election declared that Adeyemi polled a total of 88,373 votes to defeat Dino Melaye who was able to gather a total vote of 62,133.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94