TO the uninitiated, Senator Dino Melaye’s many troubles may be intriguing. To those who know him, the Kogi West senator is not new to trouble. It may even be right to say Melaye courts trouble. The author of One Day One Trouble may have characters like Dino Melaye in mind. Melaye’s many troubles push him on the spot light, more often than not, for the wrong reasons.
Melaye’s days in the House of Representatives were turbulent. That he was a thorn in the flesh of the leadership of the House was not in doubt. His posturing in the lower chamber earned him indefinite suspension when he led few others to accuse the Dimeji Bankole-led House of misappropriation and abuse of due process. Melaye was only saved from the blazing hammer of the House by the court.
Melaye’s swagger perhaps is not anything better now that he is in the Senate. The only difference this time around is that he appears to be in the good book of the Senate leadership. He is tagged the ‘political son’ of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
In the Senate, Melaye has, no doubt, stepped on toes, some of them big. He moved the motion that led to the suspension of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume. He was linked to the removal of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as chairman, Northern Senators Forum. He raised the motion that culminated in the resolution to refer Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for investigation. The Delta central lawmaker apparently sensing danger repudiated his submission of the controversial election sequence crisis.
The list is endless. Of all his troubles, however, Melaye appears to have met his match in his state governor, Yahaya Bello. He is battling to frustrate a recall notice hanging over his neck. Aggrieved members of Kogi West accused him of poor representation. He, however, saw the hands of Bello in the attempt to recall him from the upper chamber.
He is crying blue murder and has vowed to fight on to the end. The Court of Appeal where he ran to seek protection ruled that the recall process was in order. The court gave its nod for the process to continue unhindered. On the basis of the court ruling, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday set aside April 28 for the recall process of Melaye to commence. Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor James Apam, told stakeholders in Lokoja, the state capital, that the commission’s position to commence that recall process is based on the Court of Appeal ruling. Apam described INEC as a law-abiding body that will adhere strictly to the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered the commission to restart the recall process.
Apam said the recall process will start with the verification of signatures of the electorate on the recall register. At least 51 per cent of the signatures must be fully verified, he said. A referendum of the electorate will be conducted on May 5, which will depend on the success of the verification exercise being able to verify at least 51 per cent of the signatures. He added: “We will invite all those that signed the recall register to come forward to identify their signatures. If this process is successful, the commission will proceed to the next stage where a referendum of all registered voters will be conducted. “Here, voters will be asked to vote either yes or no to the question of whether they want Sen. Dino Melaye recalled. If they are able to meet the constitutional requirement of 51 per cent yes, the process moves to the next stage, but if it fails, the process stops.” Melaye has taken the matter to the Supreme Court for further adjudication. He was also arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory in Abuja High Court for alleged misinformation. The Kogi West senator was slammed a two-count charge of giving false information to the police about an assassination attempt on his life in April 2017. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The office of the Attorney General of the Federation filed the charges, marked CR/106/18 on January 31, 2018. Melaye was accused of falsely incriminating the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Mr. Edward Onoja David, in the alleged assassination attempt.
The offences were said to be punishable under sections 140 and 393 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963. He was granted bail after a plea application filed by his lawyer, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN). The bail application was opposed by Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, the prosecuting counsel. The judge, Justice Olasunbo Goodluck, dismissed the opposition which she ruled was based on inadmissible affidavit evidence.
She granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N100,000 with one surety who must be a federal civil servant of at least Grade Level 14 in any federal parastatal or establishment. The surety must also provide proof to be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory. Only last week, the Kogi State Police Command dragged Melaye before a Federal High Court, Lokoja, to answer charges of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms. Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, ACP Jimoh Moshood, told reporters while parading two alleged political thugs, Kabiru Saidu, also known as Osama and Nuhu Salisu also known as Small, in Lokoja, that Melaye was allegedly linked to the activities of the thugs.
Moshood said the two suspects were apprehended by the police at Agojueju in Dekina local government area of the state, after engaging the men of the command and team of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad in a gun duel for several hours.
The police spokesman said the suspects upon investigation confessed that they have caused mayhem, disruption of peace, destruction of lives and property as well as belonging to a dreaded and vicious kidnap gang terrorizing the state. Moshood said the gang leader, Kabiru Saidu, claimed that Senator Melaye handed over a bag to him containing one AK 47 rifle, two Pump Action rifles and the sum of N430, 000, to start training others preparatory to the 2019 elections. He said consequent upon the criminal confession against Melaye by Kabiru Saidu, the police wrote the senate president informing and requesting him to release Senator Melaye to report at the office of the commissioner, Kogi State Command, to answer the allegation levelled against him.
Moshood said that following the deliberate refusal by Melaye to honour the police invitation, a case of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms had been filed at the Federal High Court, Lokoja, on the 16th of March. Melaye has since dismissed the allegations as unfounded and a calculated attempt by the police to malign him.
He accused the police of playing out the script of the Kogi State Government to frame him up and to discredit him. He insisted that the development was an attempt to shut him up, especially since he has never seen or met the suspects in his entire life. The fabricated lies by Kogi State Government and the police against me will fail. It’s utterly laughable and preposterous. It’s a sign of desperation”, the embattled Senator had tweeted, adding: “No amount of lies and blackmail will detract my attention from speaking the truth and defending it”.
