Melaye Testifies In Court, Provides Explanation For Refusing To Sign Presidential Poll Result, Citing Tinubu

Senator Dino Melaye, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, appeared in court on Friday as a star witness in a petition seeking to nullify President Bola Tinubu’s election. Melaye took the stand as the 22nd witness in the case brought before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja by PDP’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, the lead counsel for Atiku, Melaye, who previously represented Kogi West in the Senate, informed the court that he served as the National Collation Officer of the PDP during the presidential election held on February 25.

Melaye stated that he refused to sign the final result used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the presidential contest. He claimed that the result was inaccurately computed and announced, and he did not endorse fraudulent practices.

During cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, Melaye explained that he immediately left for Abuja after voting in Kogi State to fulfill the task assigned to him by his party. He revealed that some PDP agents in various polling units across the country also declined to sign the election results due to widespread electoral malpractices they observed.

Melaye alleged that the presidential election results were manipulated, presenting evidence that the results on INEC’s IReV portal differed from the announced results. He emphasized that the information he provided to the court was based on his personal experience, reports from party agents, and information obtained from their Situation Room.

Regarding the allegation of INEC deploying a device management system that favored Tinubu, Melaye stated that he became aware of it through a press statement issued by INEC before the election. He believed that the allegation was not mere speculation but rather supported by INEC’s own statement.

When questioned about how he obtained information about the manipulation of election results in specific states, Melaye explained that he had access to live feeds from party agents and was virtually present in those states. He asserted that the delay in transmitting the results infringed upon the law and that the election was rigged with substantial votes deducted from Atiku, supported by a statistician hired by the petitioners.

After Melaye’s testimony, Chief Uche, SAN, presented certified copies of polling unit results from 13 Local Government Areas in Nasarawa State as evidence. Although INEC was subpoenaed to produce results from 26 states, it only provided those from Nasarawa State. The court adjourned further proceedings until Monday.