The open display of selfishness and penchant for alternative facts by expired Senator Smart Adeyemi and expiring Senator Dino Melaye on Channels Television yesterday is embarrassing to say the least. Both men are unfortunate political mistakes that we will love to get over with as quickly as possible.
Dino was asked a direct question to own or disown the voice in the leaked audio that revealed that he bribed a judge and he could not answer NO. He danced around the question citing technological manipulations. Haba! A Yes or No is all we ask from you sir.
On the mutilated result sheet, only INEC can prove who is right because we can’t trust either Smart or Dino. The result sheets might have been doctored before INEC signed and stamped it and there is a possibility that it was mischievously doctored after INEC had done their job. All things are possible with these two birds of a feather.
If it is true that Dino ‘rigged’ tribunal judgment against Smart, then it is karma. Sometimes in 2008, the Kogi governorship election was upturned and a fresh election was ordered between Ibrahim Idris of PDP, Abubakar Audu of ANPP, Mohammed Ohiare of AC and others. The then Speaker, Clarence Olafemi became acting governor but shortly after his elevation, Olafemi’s election was nullified at the tribunal based on the case brought people it by Mr. Abereoran, he headed for Appeal court and people started counting days left for him to leave office. A local newspaper in Kogi reported that Smart Adeyemi (then a chieftain of PDP) met Abereoran and told him to accept the ‘carrots’ PDP is offering him as he has assurances from his ‘ally’ in the Appeal Court that Abereoran will lose to Olafemi. As promised by Smart, Abereoran lost at the Appeal. If today, Smart is crying wolf over multiple loss in the courts to Dino, it might be nemesis.
Both Dino and Smart are notorious rabble-rouser in the red chamber. I still recall how Senators Danjuma Goje and Chris Ngige, at different times, observed that Smart was constituting nuisance in the chamber. His brazen diatribes against All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu and General Buhari during 2015 electoral campaigns are still fresh in our memory. His arrogant vituperation then can only be matched by his successor in the red chambers, Dino Melaye. Haba! Buhari, Osinbanjo, Tinubu, Akande, Tony Momoh and several others in APC today never had their names attached to PDP. Talking about ideology, Buhari and Tinubu are good examples of Nigerian politicians who stayed true to their ideologies, remained in opposition for years and their people benefited from them immensely. Even in our own Kogi, the current Chief of Staff, Edward Onoja contested election under ANPP and lost but did not cheapen himself throughout PDP’s reign in Kogi.
Smart Adeyemi’s new found romance with Kogi Governor Bello Yahaya is not strange. He now preaches against opposing the governor so he can get things for his people. Where was this ‘smartness’ when he opposed former governors Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada? Our Mumu button no dey work again ooo. So Smart is ignorant of happenings in Kogi State? He is not aware that ALL tertiary institution in Kogi have been shut for about 5 months now? He is not aware that doctors just resumed their suspended strike in Kogi after government failed to fulfill her promises to them few weeks ago? He is not aware that Yahaya Bello’s dubious screening exercise has rendered many genuine workers jobless? He is not aware that Kogi people are dying on a daily basis due to non-payment of salaries? Aligning politically with Kogi Enemy number one confirmed he is an expired politician.
Back to Dino. He was not the ideal representative of the people. His crude approach to issues and tactical alienation from the people is unbecoming of a representative. His self-centered politics to known to everyone who has worked with him at one point or the other. He has so many similarities with Smart. Both love political razzmatazz, both of them are pro-Kwara, they are both desperate politicians, they both have ways of sweet talking their weaknesses to manipulate electorates, they both have excellent grades in abusing people when they want to. We have lost count the number of elders the duo of Smart and Dino insulted and abused to climb to the red chamber.
Dino is also a political prostitute. He was elected in the green chamber under PDP. He sought for a 2nd term which was against the zoning arrangement and lost. He forgot all he benefited from PDP and decamped to ANPP few days after he lost PDP primaries. He was with late Abubakar Audu when APC was formed. He used the relationship to get the APC senate ticket but as soon as he won election he abandoned Audu. I recall that Dino joined Audu-Faleke 2015 campaigned towards the end of the campaigns. That he double-crossed Faleke later is known fact. His current fight with Governor Yahaya is for his political survival but by aligning with the yearnings of Kogi people, he is enjoying incredible support at the moment. This is one area where Smart miscalculated badly.
The same political composition that fast-tracked the expiration of Smart if in-built in Dino and he is expiring fast as well.
– Titi Balogun writes from Lokoja.
