INEC's National Commissioner on Voter Education and Publicity, Prince Solomon Soyebi, has disclosed that the recall of Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West senatorial district, is likely to cost the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about N1 billion naira.
Soyebi stated this while speaking with Channels TV Correspondent Seun Okinboloye, on Thursday.
He disclosed that the verification exercise will be followed by a referendum and possibly a fresh senatorial election if the recall is successful.
Soyebi stated that the conduct of the senatorial election alone will cost the commission about N300 million.
Asked how much it would cost to properly execute the entire recall process from verification to election, he said, "about N1 billion".
To carry out the verification process, Prince Soyebi said, "We are going to every booth in the seven local government areas of that constituency."
Asked on whether it is realistic to be able to manually confirm every signatory to the recall, he said, "Anybody who has signed that petition is advised now in the interest of justice to go down to the local government area where he signed and then affirm that he signed."
He went further to say the identities of the signatories will be verified by checking their names in the register, matching it with their pictures as well as their signatures.
On the referendum, he said, "If more than 50 percent of signatories are verified, the next stage will be referendum."
When questioned about the lawsuits in court asking INEC to halt the recall process, Prince Soyebi said, "We are not unaware on notices being filed in court. And just as we have maintained, a notice does not constitute a stoppage; it's not an injunction on its own.
"There has never been a specific court order giving injunction restraining us from performing our constitutional duties."
Senate President Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, had during plenary on Tuesday, described the recall process as a waste of time.
On Monday, July 3, the commission released the timetable and guidelines for the recall which will be concluded with the declaration of the outcome of verification by August 19, 2017.
