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Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has informed Kogi State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal that Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Dino Daniel Melaye are the same person, contrary to the senator’s earlier claim.
            Melaye had in a preliminary motion claimed that Senator Smart Adeyemi was suing a wrong person at the tribunal and asked the tribunal to dismiss the application demanding the cancellation of his election. Melaye, while responding to the petition told the tribunal that the petitioner addressed the wrong person by describing him as Senator Dino Melaye in the petition, claiming his name was Dino Daniel Melaye. Melaye in the motion said: “Take notice, 1st respondent (Melaye) shall before or at the hearing of the petition, urge this honourabIe tribunal by way of preliminary objection seek to dismiss or strike out the petition for being grossly incompetent, thereby depriving the tribunal of jurisdiction to entertain same. “Take further notice that the 1st respondent (Melaye) as stated herein is not a party interested in the election petition. The person sued as 1st respondent herein is not the person who was returned as winner of the election, the subject matter of this petition. “The person who was returned as the winner of the election, the subject matter of this petition, is Melaye Daniel Dino, and not Senator Dino Melaye, contrary to the mandatory provision of paragraph 4(1) (a) of the 1st Schedule to the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). But at the tribunal’s sitting yesterday in Abuja, where the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kogi West senatorial district’s candidate, Senator Smart Adeyemi, petitioned the credibility of the election leading to the emergence of PDP Kogi West senatorial district’s candidate, Senator Dino Melaye, there was a twist. PDP Administrative Secretary, Isa Balarabe, under cross examination admitted that Dino Melaye was the person known to the party and the same person as Dino Daniel Melaye. The petitioner during intense cross examination had accosted Balarabe with the tax clearance the PDP senator used to fill his party nomination form, which read only Dino Melaye. Balarabe confirmed to the Justice Chijioke-led panel that the 1st respondent was known to the PDP as Dino Melaye which is contrary to Melaye’s claim. Meanwhile, Senator Melaye has closed his defence before the court which, subsequently, adjourned to June 20, 2019 for continuation of hearing.