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Tag: Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West)

  • Kogi PDP stakeholders reject offer of automatic ticket for Melaye

    The latest round of meeting, this time, between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders from the Lokoja/Kogi Federal constituency and the party’s National Working Committee has ended in a stalemate over granting of automatic ticket to Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West).

    Read Also:2019: Buhari’s candidacy has narrowed APC’s chances -PDP

    The meeting which held at Legacy House Abuja had Prince Uche Secondus, PDP National Chairman and members of the National Working Committee in attendance.

    The delegation from Lokoja/Kogi federal constituency was led by Senator Tunde Ogbeha, who said that the PDP in the Kogi West Senatorial district already has its arrangement on issues regarding to the Senate seat for the district.

    Ogbeha who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said that the federal constituency would ask that a level playing field be allowed for a free and fair primaries, rather than an automatic ticket.

    He however requested for more time from the National Executive for further consultation with the party executives in the Senatorial district.

    The leaders from Lokoja/Kogi Federal constituency  warned against imposition, saying it would affect the rebuilding process currently ongoing by the party in the state, consequently affect the chances of the party.

    Earlier, in a remarks, Prince Uche Secondus, National Chairman of the PDP said the meeting is an ongoing consultation with stakeholders from Kogi west on it plans to give automatic ticket to Sen. Dino Melaye, following the MoU signed by the PDP and rAPC.

    The National Chairman begged the stakeholders from the district to have an understanding and yield to the request of the NWC in the spirit of give and take, and the agreement reached before the National Assembly members returned to the PDP.

  • Melaye bail application for Thursday

    The Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, Monday adjourned hearing for the hearing of the bail application of Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West), to (Thursday) May 10, 2018.

    This followed the inability of parties to submit their counter affidavit and “better” affidavit to the written bail application by Melaye’s counsel, when Justice Nasir Ajanah, last Friday, ordered that the lawmaker be transferred to the National Hospital Abuja.

    The prosecution led by Dr Alex Iziyon (SAN), readied a counter affidavit to the written application for bail by Chief Mike Ezekhome (SAN), Melaye’s counsel, to which the latter had sought the court’s permission to file a “better” affidavit to the counter affidavit by the prosecution.

    Ajanah was to ask that a new date be picked to allow for the examination of written affidavits, none of which had been filed, as at the time of the sitting.

    The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Ajanah had adjourned for the continuation of hearing in the written bail application filled by the defense counsel, asking for variation of the remand order placed in Senator Melaye.

    This followed last Thursday’s refusal to grant bail to the lawmaker, when he was arraigned before the Senior Magistrate Court 2, sitting in Lokoja on a seven-count charge bothering on criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of fire arms.

    Ajanah had said that in view of the critical health conditions as espoused by the counsel to the applicant, he should be moved to the National Hospital, Abuja for proper medical attention.

    Read Also: Court orders Melaye’s remand at Abuja hospital

  • Melaye assassination attempt: Court orders prosecutor to appear with case file 

    Melaye assassination attempt: Court orders prosecutor to appear with case file 

    Justice Fola Ajayi of the Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, has ordered the prosecutor in the case of assassination attempt on Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) to appear with the case file at the next adjournment.

    Ajayi Monday at the resumed hearing of the case brought against the chairman of Ijumu LGA, Alhaji Taufiq Isa and four others for the alleged Assassination attempt frowned at the continuous absence of the prosecutor, Lough Simon and his team, saying that he has a limited time to conclude the case, being a criminal case that “require us starting afresh”.

    He urged the prosecuting counsel to appear physically with the case file at the next hearing, before granting an adjournment to 22nd March, 2018.

    The death of the former judge handling the case, Justice Arome Akogwu, last year December, cause the reassignment of the case to Justice Atayi.

    Since the reassignment, the prosecution counsel and his team have failed to appear in court for the second time running.

    Read Also: Assassination attempt: Dino Melaye arraigned, granted bail

  • 2019: Senate, Reps joint committee adopt reordered sequence of election

    2019: Senate, Reps joint committee adopt reordered sequence of election

    Senate and House of Representatives joint committee on Electoral Act amendment Tuesday adopted the proposed reordered sequence of elections in the country.

    The National Assembly conference committee on electoral Act (amendment) bill which met in Abuja said that reordered sequence of elections, which places the Presidential election last in the order of elections, is that best for the country.

    The House of Representatives committee on electoral act (amendment) bill had in its amendments to the 2010 Electoral Act included section 25(1) into the Act by reordering the sequence of the elections to start from that of the National Assembly, followed by governorship  and  state assembly election before the Presidential election.

    This is against the old sequence by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which slated the Presidential and National Assembly election first before governorship and state assembly elections.

    Adopting the reordered sequence of elections as contained in the House of Representatives version of the   amended Electoral Act, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi North), put it to a voice vote.

    The 12 members committee unanimously answered in the affirmative.

    After the adoption of the reordered sequence of elections, Senator Nazif insisted that the bill did not in any way violate any provisions of Section 76 of the 1999 Constitution which empowered INEC to fix dates and conduct elections.

    He noted that the words which empowered INEC to fix dates and to conduct elections were duplicated in the bill just as the power that confers on the National Assembly by Section 4 subsection 2 of the Constitution were exercised in relation to rescheduling of elections ..

    Nazif said, ” For the avoidance of doubt , this bill with the inclusion of Section 25(1) which makes provision for sequence of election different from the one earlier rolled out by INEC has not in any way violated any provisions of the laws governing the operations of the electoral body. ”

    The Chairman, House Committee on INEC, Hon. Edward Pwajok, on his own, said that what the House did and concurred to by the Senate was very necessary in giving credibility to the electoral process in the country.

    He said, ” The sequence of election provision in the bill is not targeted at anybody but aimed at further giving credibility to the electoral process by way of giving the electorate the opportunity to vote based on individual qualities of candidates vying for National Assembly seat.”

    Pwajok noted that if the bill was not assented to by the President, the lawmakers, would, based on national interest, “surely used constitutional provisions at their disposal to make it see the light of the day.”

    He said, “On whether it would be assented to or not by the President, as far as we are concerned remains in the realm of conjuncture for now but if such eventually happens, we will know how to cross the bridge.”

    A member of the Committee, Senator Dino Melaye ( Kogi West), noted that date for election is the prerogative right of INEC.

    Melaye said that the extant laws of the land give the schedules for such elections as sole responsibility of the National Assembly.

    He said, “So contrary to reports and comments by some Nigerians on the reordered sequence of election, National Assembly have not overlapped its boundaries.”

    Other members of the committee including Senator Shehu Sani ( Kaduna Central), Gilbert Nnaji ( Enugu East), Abiodun Olujimi ( Ekiti South), Peter Nwaoboshi ( Delta North), all spoke in favour of thh reordered sequence of elections .

    The sequence of elections adopted by the 8th National Assembly was first proposed by the 4th National Assembly in the 2002 electoral bill.

    It was later amended by merging Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The chairman Senate committee on INEC and his counterpart in the House of Representatives will report back to their respective chambers for final adoption before the amendment will be transmitted to the President for his assent.

  • Drama as Ndume resumes

    Drama as Ndume resumes

    …I don’t begrudge anybody, says Ndume

     

    The resumption of former Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume Wednesday after serving out 90 legislative days of suspension did not go without drama.

    The drama played out when Ndume in his usual boisterous manner raised a Point Order apparently to announce his return to the chamber.

    It was obvious that senators were wondering what the Borno South lawmaker wanted to say so soon after he was left off the hook.

    Ndume surprised everybody in the chamber when he recalled the sudden death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke (Osun West) whom he said sat behind him in the chamber.

    Ndume who told his colleagues that he used to call Adeleke his “landlord” in the chamber prayed the Senate to observe a minute silence in honour of late senator.

    Not done, Ndume also recalled the recently signed North East Development Commission Act.

    The Bill that led to the Act, he said, was spearheaded by him and Senator Kabiru Gaya to address the humanitarian crisis created by the activities of Boko Haram in the North East geo-political zone.

    He thanked his colleagues for ensuring speedy passage of the Bill and President Muhammadu Buhari for appreciating the necessity to sign the Bill into law in record time.

    While Ndume was marshaling his points, Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) was gesturing at the back ground to raise another point of order.

    It was not clear what Melaye (Kogi West) wanted to say but Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who might have sensed trouble, did not recognise him.

    When Ndume was done, Saraki simple ruled that “the points made by Ndume are noted” and quickly moved on to other legislative matters listed for the day.

    At a press briefing, Ndume said that he went to court to challenge his suspension to seek clarification on the position of the law about the way and manner the Senate suspended him.

    The lawmaker said that he did not go to court for any personal benefit but to seek clarification in the interest of democracy.

    He insisted that there was nothing personal about his suspension neither is he holding anybody responsible for his suspension.

    He also said that he went to court to test the law in defence of democracy and reiterated that he does not begrudge anybody over his suspension.

    He noted that the court had since declared his suspension as illegal, null, void and of no effect.

    Ndume who added that the Senate has signaled its intension to appeal the court ruling declared “we will watch how it goes.”

    He said, “There was nothing about what happened. I did not see anything personal; I did not take anything personal. I don’t begrudge anybody but if there is anybody who took personal leave that to God.”

  • Senate dares INEC on Melaye’s recall

    Senate dares INEC on Melaye’s recall

    …Says exercise a waste of time

    The Senate on Tuesday dared the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the commission’s decision to go ahead with the recall of Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) as demanded by his constituents.

    Describing the recall move as effort in futility, the Senate said the various stages passed so far in the exercise as facilitated by INEC were not in line with laid down constitutional procedures and guidelines.

    The lawmakers declared that it amounts to a waste of time by all the parties involved.

    This resolution followed a point of order raised against the move by Senator Melaye himself.

    Melaye drew the attention of the Senate to what he described as “supersonic move” by INEC to conclude work on the recall petitions written against him by some of his constituents, who he alleged were sponsored by the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

    Melaye said, “The score of both valid and invalid votes in the election that brought me into the Senate in 2015 was 118,000 but my governor and his appointees in four days claimed they got signatures of over 188,000.

    “They got INEC data base of registered voters and copied in one writing into a recall register and forged all the signatures. As I speak to you, over 120 dead certificates issued by the National Population Commission and these people’s relations and families have sworn to affidavits and these certificates have been deposited.

    “The names of all these dead people appeared on the recall register submitted to INEC. 116 of my constituents have sworn to affidavits that their names and signatures appeared in the recall registers and that they were not the ones that signed it.

    “86 of my constituents have sworn to an affidavit that they were approached and that the government wants to carry out a fertilizer empowerment programme and requested for their PVCs and thereby deceived them into putting their names in the recall register”.

    Consequently the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu cited Sections 68, 69 and other relevant provisions  of the 1999 Constitution to fault the move. He wondered why INEC is not following the laid down procedure in carrying out the exercise.

    Ekweremadu said, “I am wondering why we are dissipating energy on this matter and wasting precious legislative time on a matter we should not.

    “What is happening in Kogi in respect of Senator Dino Melaye, as far as this constitution is concerned, is an exercise in futility. They are just wasting precious time because the constitution is clear on what should happen.

    “It is possible that the Attorney- General of Kogi State has not advised them properly. If he had done that, I am sure they would have applied their time to more meaningful ventures in Kogi State.

    Ekweremadu added that National Assembly, in 2010, amended the constitution in respect of Section 69, which deals with recall process of a federal lawmaker.

    According to him, the Section clearly stated that the numbers of those who are seeking to recall Senator Melaye from the Senate are supposed to line up somewhere in Kogi State with him and his lawyers, with each person verifying their signature.

    “When they are done with that they go back to Section 68, which states that the President of the Senate receives from the chairman of INEC the recall of the member. They would also present evidence satisfactory to the House or the Senate.

    “So they need to come back here and convince each and every one of us that they have done the correct thing. Unless they do that, they cannot even give effect to it. So why are we wasting our time. Let us move on and allow them to waste their time”, Ekweremadu said.

    In his contribution, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said, “As they say, 10 years is no joke in leadership, the Deputy Senate President has explained the processes. So let the process speak for itself.

    “I really don’t know why a lot of efforts are being wasted that should have gone into more important things. Eventually, it must come back here for us to decide whether it is satisfactory or not”.

     

  • Assassination attempts: Saraki seeks special protection for Senators, others ‎

    Assassination attempts: Saraki seeks special protection for Senators, others ‎

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Thursday said that the Senate will work out special protection strategy to protect its members against rising cases of assassination attempts and harassment.

    Saraki, who spoke against the backdrop of the reported assassination attempt against Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and the raid of the home of Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, noted that the upper chamber would take steps to ensure the protection its members.

    The Senate President spoke at the inauguration of an ad-hoc committee investigating the alleged attempted assassination on Melaye.

    Represented by the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, Saraki said that investigation into the assassination attempt on Melaye should be fully investigated by the committee.

    He noted that the probe would also articulate ways and means to protect members of the National Assembly against infringement and threats to their lives.

    He said: “The 1999 Constitution guarantees every Nigerian the right to life. Like every Nigerian, a Senator or member of the National Assembly deserves to be protected against infringement, threat and harassment.

    “The reported incidence in Kogi State where armed assassins invaded the house of a sitting Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Dino Melaye with the intention of taking his life is frightening and must be fully investigated.”

    Saraki added that effort must be made to “ensure that no Senator or member of the legislature is put in a position where he or she will feel his life is threatened in such a manner as to affect his judgment and thereby weaken hiss moral compass and ability to act without fear or favour.

    “The investigation will seek to unearth the remote and immediate issues connected with, and leading to the ugly incident.”

    Saraki asked members of the committee to discharge their task with great sense of responsibility, diligence and care.

    Chairman of the Committee, Senator Jibrin Barau, noted that though “the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incidents are still unclear”, the panel would dig deep into the matter to establish the truth of the issue.

    Barau assured that the committee in carrying out its mandate would do so with the utmost sense of duty, bearing in mind the seriousness of the assignments.