Kogi Crisis: Senator Melaye Is Fighting for Himself – Gov Bello

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Speaking on behalf of Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, Mrs. Petra Akinti Onyegbule, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor said those who know Senator Dino Melaye too well should know that he does not fight for the common good but for himself.

“Politics of self-interest happened on the part of Senator Dino Melaye. I do think that things need to be taken one step at a time. That is how life is, and boundaries actually exist in every kind of human relationship. When there is a governor in place and a senator from the governor’s state says he wants to be in control, a governor who knows his onions, a governor who doesn’t want to be a stooge and a governor who doesn’t want to be a puppet in the hands of some godfathers would have to resist that.

“I am sure you know that the Secretary to the State Government was actually recommended by Senator Dino Melaye. For him to continue to think that he will actually dictate what happens in the state is not acceptable. The fact that the governor says no, I cannot do this should not bring this level of opprobrium. The opprobrium is uncalled for.

“There is nothing really wrong about that, but when you want to act as if you are fighting for the common good of the people, then we need to know who you are. He is not fighting for the people of Kogi State. Hence, he is not even representing his people well. He has no constituency office in the state. His people do not know where to go should they need him. For the past couple of months, he has not been in Lokoja. The only time he came in was to use the Kogi State Polytechnic as a battle ground to fight for his political life. He has no business whatsoever trying to impose decisions on the governor. And I do think that the governor reserves the right to take advice from whoever he deems fit,” Mrs. Onyegbule said.

On the claim by Dino that his grouse with the governor was over nonpayment of salaries, pensions and continued closure of tertiary institutions in the state, she said the senator did not have the integrity to fight for anybody. “He can use whatever excuse as a smokescreen, but people who actually know him know that he is not fighting for the interest of the masses as he claimed,” she added.

On the allegation of monetary inducement to recall Dino, Mrs. Onyegbule said Bello was the governor of the state and had no business with his recall.

“The governor is not from his constituency. If his people are really satisfied with his representation, they wouldn’t be seeking for his recall. In 2015, we all saw how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) used money to induce voters, but it didn’t work. So let him keep his calm and stop throwing spurious allegations left, right and centre.

“The governor has no business with his recall. It is a business between him and his people who have the rights actually to demand his recall because it is a provision in the Electoral Act. So, if they are not satisfied with the representation they get from him, it is their right to do that, and the state government has no business to say you cannot recall him or say yes, go ahead. It is their rights actually because this is democracy where power resides with the people,” she said.

 

 

Credit: Sunday Trust


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