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The bold, courageous and successful Senator; Dino Melaye representing Kogi West in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly is a man who had distinguished himself so far in the legislature. He has hitherto demonstrated his desire to stick to what he had always believed.
As a former member of the House of Representative. He was involved in uncovering a number of corruption cases in the House, including the 9 billion naira related to former speaker of the House Demeji Bankole. His anti-corruption activities led to his exclusion from the House. He has always positioned himself as the advocate of changes for the Nigerian community. Obviously, he gained some amounts of trust from people voting him to represent them at the Upper Legislative Chamber in the 2015 elections.
Many Nigerians are very much aware of the feud between the Kogi West senator and his governor. Some analysts have said that Dino Melaye and the Kogi state Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello have been at each others throat over the control of the state. There have been war of words between them. Last year, there was an assassination attempt on Senator Melaye. No fewer than five persons were shot at the gate of Kogi state polytechnic, Lokoja where Senator Dino Melaye was holding a protest rally. The gunmen who stormed the venue form the Nataco junction brandishing guns and cutlasses started shooting into different direction sending people scampering for safety including journalist who were at hands to cover the event. Before the army and the state commissioner of police could reach there almost an hour into the shooting, five persons have fell victims of gun shots with a vehicle in flame as well.
The distinguished Senator had maintained his position that Yahaya Bello wanted him dead because of his stand on the plight of the workers and pensioners.
Meanwhile, from all indications Senator Melaye has become a torn of flesh to the Yahaya Bello’s administration. Yahaya Bello already a curse on the people of Kogi. Workers and and pensioners in the state are dying and suffering following his refusal to pay salaries and pensions in the last few months. Yahaya Bello collected N20 billion naira from the federal government as bail out fund and still refused to settle workers. Despite the N11 billion naira from the Paris refund money, there should have been no excuses for the workers and pensioners not being paid. It was so pathetic that a civil servant in Kogi state committed suicide when it became obvious he could no longer feed himself and his family. According to Senator Dino Melaye “Children can no longer go to school, tenants can no longer pay for house rent, enough is enough. The people of Kogi state are tired of this government. I will continue to speak the truth for the sake of my people. No amount of intimidation will stop me from fighting for the course of my people”
It was a fact that Yahaya Bello once threatened Senators, saying that most of them will not return to the Red Chambers in 2019. The flamboyant lawmaker reacted in a video which he posted in Instagram said, “I begin to ask myself why will any intellectually mobile character, sound and sane, speak like that. And if anyone wants to talk like that, it is not a man that has committed electoral fraud, who is awaiting trial and obviously will soon go to prison”
In June 2017, a process to recall Senator Melaye was kick started. It is a very clear fact in the eyes of reasonable Nigerians that the only project on the timetable of Yahaya Bello is the fraudulent recall of Sen. Dino Melaye.
However, the Kogi West Senator has made it very obvious that Yahaya Bello has budgeted N1 billion to have him recalled from the state. Melaye has described the process to recall him from the Upper Legislative Chamber as an exercise in futility and insists he is focused on defending “the poor and defenceless” people of Kogi.
His reaction came after the Special Assistant to Governor Bello on Electronic Media, Gbenga Olorunpomi shared photos of constituents in Odo Ape queuing up to append their signatures for the recall of Melaye. “The people of Odo Ape say they no longer want Senator Melaye as their representative. Dino recall process is alive and well in Kogi West. We just might make history”, he wrote alongside the images. Dino Melaye reacted by saying “Spending over N1billion of taxpayers money on an unproductive venture, when salaries and pensions have not been paid, is wicked. I will continue to defend the poor and the defenceless masses of Kogi state. If I die, I die. We must rescue the state”.
Investigation reveals that even the dead people were listed among those who they claimed to have signed petition to recall Senator Dino Melaye. Some of the dead persons whose names are allegedly on the list that signed the recall forms submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are:
• Abdullahi Abubakar
• Late Halima Lawal Abubakar
• Ibrahim Adama
• Salihu Black
From investigation, people like late Abdullahi Abubakar, his immediate younger sister Late Halima Lawal Abubakar and Ibrahim Adama of Unit Code 021, Adankolo Ring Road in Ward “A”, Lokoja Local Government Council, Late Salihu Black of Gegu-Beki town, Kogi Local Government Council who until his death was a biology teacher in Government Secondary School, Koton-Karfe, also appended his signature on the recall list.
Also reacting to this ugly development, the Nigerian Senate said it will look into the matter. They agreed the recall process was masterminded by the State Governor and they must act. Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said the recall process is dead on arrival going by the constition. It’s a long process after the verification of votes. The senate also said it would also verify if the process is indeed legal.
Agreed the lawmakers may not have the constitutional power to verify recall votes, it’s the power conferred on INEC. However, the bottom line is that INEC by it actions so far has been guilty of a dereliction of duty. As a body supposed to be independent, impartial, and non partisan had in this case gone against their constitutional role in a desperate bid to satisfy some people. Why are they so desperate to get rid of the Kogi West Senator? These are the main questions we should be asking INEC, Yahaya Bello and even the Federal Government. The Nigerian masses should rise up against this impunity by some elements who are bent on destroying our democracy.
It was shocking when the federal government arraigned Dino Melaye for allegedly framing Edward David, chief of staff of Yahaya Bello. Rather than to do all within its power to bring to book those responsible for the assassination attempt on the Senator. Ben-Murray Bruce, Senator representing Bayelsa East, and Mao Ohabunwa, Senator representing Abia north, were among those who accompanied Melaye to court. Some protesters under the aegis of Coalition Of Nigerian Youth Leaders (CNYL) stormed the high court in Maitama, Abuja in solidarity with Melaye. The protesters held placards with inscriptions “No force can stop Dino Melaye”, ” No one can kill the truth”, “Speak on Dino”, among others.
That wasn’t enough assault on the distinguished Senator, the Nigerian Police in Kogi state last month paraded some suspects with arms who allegedly confessed they were being sponsored by Senator Melaye. This blackmail was viewed as a farce to many Nigerians. Later, the Nigerian Police declared the Senator and seven other suspects wanted in Kogi state. The statement signed by the commissioner of police, Mr Ali Janga in Lokoja. The police that day had announced the escape of two suspected persons in Dino Melaye’s case. The two suspects identified as Kabiru Seidu alias Osama and Nuhu Salish alias Small, according to the commissioner, escaped at about 3:21 am. at the “A” Police Division in Lokoja where they were being kept in lawful custody. Meanwhile, Senator Dino Melaye had threatened to sue the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris for the escape of the two suspected persons who accused him of sponsoring them in Kogi.
It is visibly obvious to even the blind that governance has been brought to a halt in Nigeria. Political conspiracies, blinkering, grandstanding, mudslinging, shenanigans, propagandas have displaced the quest to right the wrongs cum ills of the nation via good, visionary, focus and dedicated leadership.
Yahaya Bello and his foot soldiers in Kogi state are still living in fools paradise. Yahaya Bello thought that suffering the Kogi people still incubating under the malicious propaganda that earned him support earlier to become governor when he didn’t even contest for it, without knowing that the period of hallucinations are over. The lies and gross incompetence as exemplified in Bello’s rudderless government has been bursted full time.
The good people of Kogi cannot be hoodwinked again. No amount of silly propagandas on the distinguished Senator Melaye will make the beleaguered and impoverished masses believe him.
-Shirley Ikonne writes from Abuja
