Tag: Melaye

Elder statesman Senator Ayo Fasanmi yesterday called for the suspension of Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) from the National Assembly for an alleged unruly behaviour, stressing that his action has dented the image of the hallowed chambers.

Melaye verbally assaulted Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) during an Executive Session. He has been roundly condemned. The Kogi West Senator said he was reacting to an abuse by Mrs. Tinubu.

Lagos Central All Progressives Congress (APC) leader Prince Tajudeen Olusi, who demanded an apology from Melaye, said stakeholders from the district will petition the Senate.

Southwest and Lagos APC Women Leader Chief Kemi Nelson said women will storm the Senate to protest the alleged intimidation of Senator Tinubu.

Fasanmi urged Nigerians to examine the quality of federal legislators, saying that senators and House of Representatives members were not associated with bad behaviours when he was a member of the National Assembly in the First and Second Republics.

In his solidarity message to the emergency meeting of Lagos Central District leaders and stakeholders held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos Mainland to reaffirm their loyalty, confidence and support for Senator Tinubu, the party elder urged the Senate and the APC to sanction the Kogi senator.

He said: “I am very sad about what is going on in the Senate. All former senators and members of the House of Representatives should be sad. Senator Dino Melaye is rude to a woman of substance and a diligent senator who has brought pride to the party, her constituency and the womenfolk. He should be suspended from the Senate with immediate effect.”

The meeting, which was presided over by Olusi, was attended by former Minister of State for Defence Chief Demola Seriki, House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, Mrs.Nelson, former Secretary to the Government Hon. Omotilewa Aro-Lambo, House of Representatives member Hon. Jide Jimoh and State Vice Chairman (Lagos Central) Comrade Fuad Oki.

Also there were former House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Hon. Toun Adediran, Lagos APC Acting Secretary Hakeem Bamgbola, Publicity Secretary Joe Igbokwe, Chief Tayo Oyemade, Prince Murphy Adetoro, Alhaji Mutiu Are, Hon. Babatunde Kolawole, Hon. Lanre Oshun, Hon. Tunde Balogun, Hon. Bola Olumegbon-Lawal, Hon. Bolanle Akinyemi-Obe and senatorial Women Leader, Mrs. Otitolaye.

Party faithful, who carried placards to protest the alleged attack on Mrs. Tinubu were angry. Some of the placards read: “Dino, acclaimed woman beater”; “Melaye, come to Lagos”; “Dino has no sense of dignity”; “Dino has no shame”; and “Thug Melaye”.

Following a motion by Jimoh, the stakeholders urged the Senate to suspend Melaye for taking a wrong step and to prevent a future occurrence.

Describing Mrs. Tinubu as a no mean senator in the mould of the late Senator Wuraola Esan, the Iyalode of Ibadanland, and Mrs. Margret Ekpo, Prince Olusi, who is a former member of the House of Representatives, said she has lived up to expectation as a credible representative, humanist, philanthropist and woman of integrity.

He said the district ‘s petition will highlight the effects of Melaye’s bad behaviour.

Olusi added: “Senator Oluremi Tinubu is the representative of the premier senatorial district in Nigeria; the Centre of Excellence and the seat of commerce. We have to remind those who have forgotten that the first legislative chamber and colonial secretariat were established in the district. When tax suffrage was the basis for election, Lagos had three members – Dr. Adeyinka, Adeleke Adedoyin and Dr, Nnamidi Azikiwe.”

Taking an exception to Melaye’s action, Olusi said: “Dino Melaye is a senator, but not a distinguished senator. He has not distinguished himself in anything that is honourable.”

Nelson, the Yeyesewa of Lagos, said: “It is wrong for anyone to raise his hand to beat up a woman. Lagos is a mini-country and anybody who offends Lagos has offended the whole of Nigeria. Nigerian women have given Melaye a red card. We will occupy the Senate in Abuja.They want to scare women away from politics. Husbands will now begin to discourage their wives from participating in politics.”

Thanking the stakeholders to decrying the brutality and intimidation, Oki said the Lagos Central District has called for the investigation of the incident.

Adediran observed that the attack on Mrs. Tinubu was an attack on her husband, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, adding that Melaye must apologise.”

Third Republic member of House of Representatives Aro-Lambo said Melaye’s unruly behaviour has dented the image of the National Assembly, adding that representatives of the district will storm the National Assembly to register their displeasure.

He stressed:  “I am personally saddened by the bad behaviour of Dino Melaye. There is no former senator or House of Representatives member who will not be sad. Remi Tinubu has endowed her seat in the Senate with visibility and honour. She has not been warming her seat. That’s why she has become the target.”

Seriki frowned at Melaye’s vulgar language, saying the

Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West whose verbal attack on Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) was widely condemned yesterday was remorseless.

Melaye alleged that Sen. Tinubu called him “a thug and dog”.

Melaye allegedly threatened to beat up Sen. Tinubu during Senate executive session on Tuesday.

He told reporters at the National Assembly that he was forced to state his own side of the story due to “misinformation in public sphere” about what transpired between him and Sen. Tinubu at the closed door session.

He noted that the behind-the-door session was created to deliberate on the forgery case against  Senate President Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two others.

Melaye claimed that he was only given the floor to pacify his colleagues who he said had initiated forgery suits to withdraw their suits.

He claimed that when he made his submissions, he did not use any indecent words, neither did he mention anybody’s name.

Melaye claimed that Sen. Tinubu stood up and said that she was being harassed by him.

He claimed that he restrained himself but lost his patience when Sen. Tinubu described him as a “dog” and “thug” who must be “tamed”.

He said that it was at that point that he sprang up and told Sen. Tinubu:  “you are stupid”.

Melaye said that the issue of impeachment was never discussed during the session.

He said that some unnamed persons who wanted to score cheap political points built impeachment into what happened.

Melaye said: “When I stood up and I made my submissions that day in the Senate, all I did was to pacify my colleagues and asked that the case in court be withdrawn because already there is a resolution of the Senate that the rules of the Senate were not forged and since there was a resolution of the Senate that the rules of the Senate were not forged, then, I said, all those who have gone to court should go and withdraw their names from court and that if at the end of the day those who refused to withdraw their names from the court we should penalise them by suspending them. I said that.

“But I did not use any insolent, abusive, degrading or mannerless language. So there was no reaction from any of our colleagues as regards my presentation.

“After I spoke so many other senators spoke and I did not mention the name of any senators while I was making my presentation. Unfortunately Senator Oluremi Tinubu got up and was recognised to speak and immediately she started speaking she specifically mentioned my name even when in my presentation I did not mention anybody’s names.

“I only appealed to the sensitivity of my colleagues and asked them to withdraw their case from court and reminded them that already that there was a resolution of the senate that the rules were not forged.

“But because of reasons only known to Senator Oluremi Tinubu, she got up the first thing she said that she’s being harassed in this chamber by Senator Melaye.

“I kept quiet at that point. She went ahead to say that why will Senator Melaye come here and be threatening senators.

“There was a large chorus from senators how, when, where, senators reacted. At that point I was still very calm.

“She got up again and said that this thug must be tamed. At that point, I got up and I told her that she is very stupid.

“The next statement from her is that you are a dog. She called me a dog and when she called me a dog I stood up and I reacted and I told her that this is not Bourdillon and that she should look at my face.

“I am not one of those senators who normally come to prostrate to them in Bourdillon. And I told her I am from Kogi State, I am not from Lagos State and that there would never be a day that I will come to you for political assistance. These were my words and she went on shouting dog, thug.”

Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye came under attack yesterday for charging at Senator Oluremi Tinubu during the executive session of the Senate on Tuesday.

Senators were meeting over the forgery case filed against Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu when Melaye seized the floor and poured invectives on his colleagues and the Executive for their perceived role in the matter.

Sources at the meeting said Senator Tinubu (Lagos Central), who was speaking, continued with her speech against indecorous acts by senators. Melaye was angry, it was learnt. He reportedly used unprintable words to describe her. He was said to have attempted to physically attack.

The other Lagos State Senators – Bareehu Olugbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) and Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West)- yesterday condemned Melaye’s unwarranted outburst against Senator Tinubu.

The lawmakers dissociated themselves from Melaye’s comments and behaviour.

Ashafa and Adeola, in a joint statement, said:  “We the two Senators representing Lagos East and Lagos West, having reviewed the recent happenings in the hallowed Chamber of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly at the executive session of 12th July, 2016, which dwelt on the running of the Senate and now in the public domain without any denial from the affected parties, feel compelled to state as follows:

“We deplore in very strong terms the use of abusive, threatening, uncouth, vulgar and un-parliamentary language by any senator against any other senator, particularly our female colleagues.

“As distinguished members of the Red Chamber, we are strongly in favour of resolving any conflict that has arisen in course of our representation and national duty through dialogue and due process and we will not be part of any solution obtained through any form of coercion, threat, intimidation and ungentlemanly conduct of the distinguished office of a senator.

“We dissociate ourselves from the comments and behaviour of Senator Dino Melaye (APC – Kogi West) at the Executive Session of 12th July 2016 as we represent people known for finer character and noble culture of social interaction.

“We equally state that we will be part of efforts to instill and enshrine decorum and gentlemanly conduct associated with the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“While condemning the use of any vulgar and un-senatorial language in all ramifications, we particularly take offence to the use of such abusive and denigrating words against the person of Distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC- Lagos Central).

“As such words greatly demeaned the female gender and the hallowed chamber of the Senate.

“Finally, pursuant to the threat of physical abuse against Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC- Lagos Central) by Senator Dino Melaye (APC- Kogi West), we state that we are not lily-livered and cannot be intimidated or deterred from our primary assignment of representing the good people of Lagos State and carrying out our national duties of law making, even if it entails testifying in court on the side of the truth as part of the resolution of any conflict in the upper chamber.

Senator Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo North) also condemned the attack on Senator Tinubu:

He said last night: “In actual sense, the unsenatorial utterances of Senator Melaye constitute threat to the life of a fellow senator. It is not only condemnable, it is also criminal.

“At a time when Nigeria is faced with rising cases of violence against women, it is utterly unfortunate that a senator threatened to beat up a fellow senator. To say the least, that nature of threat should not be associated with the Nigerian Senate. “

He however added that “it is comforting that Senator Tinubu has forgiven Senator Melaye and has decided to move on.”

Former Deputy Senate Minority Leader Olorunnimbe Mamora also condemned Melaye’s unruly behaviour.

Senator Mamora  said for Melaye “to have threatened to beat up  Senator Oluremi Tinubu, a fellow senator for that matter, he has gone too far”.  “There is minimum standard of modicum expected of a senator; Melaye fell short of that modicum.”

 “I had expected the Senate President Bukola Saraki to caution him but there was no report that he did. Melaye should apologise in his own interest; whatever respect people have for him must have dropped; he should apologise and redeem his image.”

Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Chairman Monday Ubani condemned the un-parliamentary behaviour and language used by Melaye in addressing his colleagues.

 “I have said it many times that this eighth National Assembly may be the worst in the history of this country’s democracy. The leadership of the Senate has lost respect of the people; they think of themselves and not the people that they are representing. It i s unfortunate we have found ourselves in this mess,” he said.

Southwest All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leader Chief Kemi Nelson, yesterday chided Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) for unruly behaviour at the Senate’s Executive Session.

She said women should condemn the lawmaker’s move to intimidate his colleague, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), during the meeting, stressing that it was “distasteful, hooliganistic and an affront against Nigerian women”.

Lagos APC leaders, including Prince Oluyole Olusi and members of the House of Assembly, also flayed the legislator from Kogi State, describing him as “a big shame” to the National Assembly.

Mrs Nelson, who doubles as the Lagos APC Women Leader, said Melaye, who sprang up from his seat and charged at Mrs Tinubu, would have physically assaulted the woman, whose comment at the meeting was laced with utmost decorum.

Urging party leaders to call Melaye to order, the women leader said he is expected to personify decency in every sphere of his life, both within and outside the Senate.

Mrs Nelson added: “He (Melaye) should remember that the privilege of his election into the Senate on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came because the electorate of his Kogi senatorial constituency believed that his current association with the APC implied his attainment of higher moral grounds than what he had exhibited when he was in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as a member of the House of Representatives.

“Dino’s excesses since the inauguration of the Eighth Assembly have now exposed him to not just his Kogi State senatorial constituency, but indeed to all Nigerian women (and men too) that his rejection at the polls in 2011 were after all very well-reasoned by even his old PDP constituency.

“The nation cannot afford the likes of unruly Dino among our lawmakers. The reported reconciliation of Senator OluremiTinubu with Dino before the executive session ended was not enough. A leopard can never change its spot; Dino needs to be urgently tamed before he becomes a roasted fish that cannot be remoulded.

“All Nigerian women are enjoined to condemn Dino Melaye’s misconduct, because women could do a lot better than we currently do without Dino’s likes making laws for us.”

Lagos APC leaders, in a statement by Olusi, Lagos Central leader, Fuad Oki, Vice Chairman (Lagos Central) and Hakeem Bamgbola, the state secretary, condemned the attack on Mrs. Tinubu by Melaye, saying that it lacked justification.

Noting the division in the Upper Legislative Chambers, the leaders said they supported senators working for the larger interest of the country and pushing for reforms that will usher in a new society.

According to them, the derogatory attack on Mrs. Tinubu, who is a ranking senator, was condemnable.

The chieftains called for an investigation into the incident to unravel Melaye’s motives and apply  the appropriate sanctions to prevent future attacks.

The statement added: “The founding fathers of our democracy left behind a tradition of discipline, decorum and selfless patriotism. We hope the 8th Senate will uphold this tradition.

“We stand behind Senator Oluremi Tinubu and firmly support her activities in the Senate. We salute her courage and consistent defence of democratic principles and the rule of law. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, a ranking Senator, has a tradition of speaking truth to power and never one to be cowed. Lagos State regards Senator Dino’s attack as an affront on Lagosians and its political leadership.”

Lagos APC Publicity Secretaty Comrade Joe Igbokwe said Melaye “needed a psychiatric doctor to examine the state of his mind”. He urged the senator to apologise to Mrs. Tinubu and turn a new leaf.

He added: “Senator Dino Melaye has been in the news in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the wrong reasons. His actions and deeds in recent times have contributed in no uncertain terms to various setbacks we have witnessed in the Eighth Senate since its inception on June 9 2015.

“The hallowed chamber of the Senate is a prestigious place for the serious-minded, cerebral men and women, men and women of honour and integrity, those who can hold their heads when others are losing theirs, experienced but humble men and women. It is not for lunatics, rascals, street urchins, ethically challenged bigots or integrity challenged charlatans.

“Melaye has reached a point of diminishing returns. The unstable and funny man from Kogi State has reached a point where there is no other place to go but to go down irretrievably. He can only go down with his likes and not with our own Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the highly revered, honoured and distinguished wife of our National leader, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Lagos APC wants Dino Melaye to move quickly to apologise to Senator Oluremi Tinubu and her beloved husband, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and have the statement credited to him withdrawn without any further delay.”

A member of the Lagos House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Olulade, described Melaye as a big shame to the legislature.

Olulade, who represents Epe  Constituency 11, wondered why the senator could threaten to beat up another man’s wife, adding that it smacked of immaturity.

The lawmaker said in a statement: “Any responsible individual that is truly worthy to be called a Senator, a position that convokes respect, decorum and decent public conduct, should be able to manage his temper and anger. The fact that one is a Senator does not impose lunacy on the fellow to disparage others.

“Dino has exposed himself as a simpleton and a court jester, whose words and tactlessness cannot be taken seriously by mature people. With this recent action by Senator Melaye, he has so descended to a ridiculous level, thus displaying to the whole world his unworthiness to sit in the hallowed chambers of the Nigerian Senate.”

MEMBERS of the Kogi West People’s Assembly have urged the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to investigate an alleged breach of paragraph 3, Part I of the 5th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution as amended and Section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act by Senator Dino Melaye. The lawmaker represents Kogi West in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

In a petition through their solicitors – Messrs A.Y. Mohammed & Co – to the CCB Chairman, Mr. Sam Saba, the group accused the senator of violating the laws of the land, which bar public office holders from maintaining and operating foreign bank accounts, alleging that the lawmaker has two accounts in the United States (U.S.).

An official of the CCB yesterday confirmed the receipt of the petition. The official, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “Yes, the petition is with us and we are working on it.”

When asked the date the petition was received and how far the bureau had gone with its investigations, the official declined comment.

The group also alleged that the two accounts -a current and a savings- were opened with the Bank of America in the State of Maryland under a false claim by Melaye, who allegedly posed as a student. It gave the current account number as 446016498396 and the savings account as 4460164775966. Both accounts were opened in the name of “Daniel Din Melaye”.

The group’s members said the petition was informed by their “firm belief in the sanctity of the constitution, the rule of law, the anti-corruption drive of the present administration and, finally, the burden of duty to hold public office holders to account, especially elected representatives of the people, for their actions while in office.”

The petitioners alleged that the last transactions on the accounts took place last December 4 when the owner authorised payment relating to the purchase of goods from a Kremlin-based “Magnitkkosmetic store”.

They alleged that a similar payment approved on September 1 last year by Melaye to a New York-based Schweppes Dermatology, was reported by an online news publication, Sahara Reporters, on March 14.

Insisting that the senator, falling within the public officer categorisation, going by paragraph 16 of Parties II of the 5th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution as amended and the Second Schedule to the CCB & T Act, has run foul of the rules, they urged the bureau to act on their petition.

Copies of the petition, signed on behalf of the group by A.Y. Mohammed Esq., were sent to the chairmen of anti-graft British agencies, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practice and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), as well as the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Dino Melaye, said yesterday that former President Goodluck Jonathan, received a plot of land in an area of the FCT reserved as green area.

He said that Jonathan was allocated the plot of land within an area in Maitama District of Abuja that was reserved as green area.

Melaye made the allegation during a budget defence session between his committee and the FCT Minister, Muhammed Bello.

The Kogi West lawmaker said that the area was desinated to provide tourist attraction for foreign visitors to the country.

He noted that his committee had already directed that work should stop immediately on construction and buildings on the area.

Melaye named other beneficiaries of plots land in that area to include former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Muhammed Bello Adoke;ý former Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda; acting National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus and late National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi.