Why Dino Melaye’s Victory in Kogi West Cannot Stand — Bidemi Adeyemi

Honourable Abidemi Adeyemi is the Minority Whip of the Kogi State House of Assembly. He was a senatorial aspirant for Kogi West Senatorial election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 28 election.

You contested the Senatorial ticket under the platform of the APC in December 2014, but we understand that you are still raising issues of irregularities against the eventual winner, Honourable Dino Melaye. How did it all happen?

I have always said it both on the social media and the print media that Dino Melaye did not win the Kogi West senatorial primaries of the APC in December 2014. He did not defeat me at all. I insist that the result of the primaries, which was presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was forged. There was no primary and the INEC report certified that there was no primary in Kogi West. But, Dino and his cohorts manufactured a result, saying that Dino scored above 1,000, while I scored 400. That is fraud and that is criminal. I didn’t contest with him. He ran away with the material. So, where did he get the figures?

Could it be that the primaries was conducted in a different place?

That is questionable because close to 2,000 delegates were present in Kabba, the Senatorial Headquarters. So, did he contest his own primaries with trees when over 2,000 certified delegates were in Kabba waiting for the material to come? How did he stage-manage his own in Lokoja to have come up with a result? That kind of person cannot represent us. You saw the show of shame he exhibited when he was in the House of Representatives. I’m sure this is going to be worst. Leopard cannot change its colour. He is what he is.

Did you take up this matter with party leaders?

As a matter of fact, all letters duly signed to the headquarters, National Chairman, to the Appeal Committee, the legal unit; to the State Executive committee and we even went to the National media.

We had a full page stating what happened and publishing the INEC report. So, if the party says they are not aware, it’s a lie. They were aware of what happened. As a matter of fact, it happened from the House of Assembly to the Senate; all over Kogi State, there was no primary. Dino and his cohorts just sat down somewhere to put names together. There were reports that they were beating young people, harassing them and violently claiming positions. That was the incident we had throughout in Kogi.

So, why didn’t you go to court over the matter before the general election?

In fairness, we would have gone to court, but we saw Dino as someone that lacks the capacity to win the election and we wanted to really contest because, personally, I believe that nobody can shape my destiny. (Prince Abubakar) Audu and Dino cannot say that I should not contest. It’s beyond them and it’s beyond a particular party. Nigeria is bigger than any one of us or any association. So, we wanted to exhibit that right to the end and make a statement and that was what we did.

Could it be possible that all the petitions you wrote did not get to the headquarters?

I was in the party headquarters for one week. I met with the leaders, the legal team, I was even in the office of the national chairman and all the papers received were duly stamped. Are they now saying that they didn’t see the INEC report in the national dailies, as well indicting the APC and Dino of not conducting primaries? It was flashed on the net. We were on Channels TV for almost two weeks on a daily basis. So, nobody can lay claim to the fact that they’ve not seen anything being done.

So what exactly did you do since the party refused to lift a finger?

They didn’t. We bought form for N3.5 million – everyone of us; they collected it. They gave us screening certificate and there was no primary and they were aware and the party did nothing about it. And when you look at the way Major General Muhammadu Buhari emerged, you would have wondered why the party will entertain that at such level. The global support that Buhari has today is as a result of the clean and clear primary he had, which the whole world saw. So, people like Dino should not ride on the bandwagon of credibility. We know him. What I did was to contest under the Labour Party.

Now that, Dino has been elected as a Senator, is the case not closed?

The case is not close at all. It is like a criminal case, you cannot say because somebody steals today and you didn’t catch him, so if you catch him five years after you will not prosecute him.  It is a pre-election matter and we are pursuing it. Though Dino has been declared an elected Senator and by God’s grace, he will be disgraced out of that position. There was no party resolution to the effect that he is a candidate and there was no primary. Dino is trying to shortchange the Nigerian Constitution. He is not eligible to be a Senator and that is why the judiciary will remove him in no time. I can assure you about that. The judiciary has settled that matter even at the level of the Supreme Court, if you are not validly nominated for election; you are not qualified to be elected. That is the position of the law.

Have you initiated any legal effort to ensure his removal?

I am five hundred per cent joining all legal efforts to remove him, so long as it is within the legal framework. Dino cannot represent me, he cannot represent my people, he cannot represent my family and he cannot represent my tribe.

You said the situation that occurred in Kogi West was replicated in all parts of the state. What do you think this portend for the party, if every aggrieved party decides to take up the matter?

I wish the APC knew the enormous responsibility that is in their hands. To win an election is not the end itself. It is what you do with the power. We have blamed other parties for 16 years, now they have their own platform to see what they want to do. They have enormous challenges in their hands and I wish they will stand up to it so that we can see democracy moving forward. For me, I left the party, after bringing so much to the table. We started the party together from the then ACN. With all my petitions and protests, nothing was done. Even if I wasn’t contesting, as a sane man, as a rational man and as Christian, I can’t stay in that kind of gathering. Even if I wasn’t even contesting, if that is done to anybody, I shouldn’t be associated with such gathering.

As a party man, did you reach out to Honourable Dino over the APC ticket?

Politics is not by force. Party is not by force. If a man has stolen my mandate, in essence, I’m the one that is supposed to occupy the office which he is. That is the implication. How will I now reach out to such a person? Darkness and light cannot live together. Whether he reaches out to me or I reach out to him, I can’t work with Dino. We are not in the same league.

But, they say in politics that there are no permanent friends or permanent enemy, only permanent interests.

But, there are principles. That is why we have people to the left, we have people to the right and we have people to the centre. His own edge is far off from where I stand. So, there is still a difference even though it is the same political party.

I thought since you are in the same political party, there would have been avenues to discuss the issue?

While we were at the party, he has always been at the right; we have always been at the left. When they were doing the party registration, that’s the same way Dino took the material for party registration to register his own people. When they were doing the convention, that’s the same way Dino took the material. When the primaries came, it was the same way and it seems that’s the same thing that happened at the general election. So, there are antecedents and I’m not surprised.

You said he took the materials for party registration. How?

Yes, he diverted the materials for party registration to his house. The congress came and the same material was diverted instead of the party secretariat. The primaries came and they shared it in their bedroom. So, it’s the same process.

You said all these happened and the party did not listen to your complaints?

There was no response. Till today as I’m talking to you, nothing is done about it and that is why you won’t be surprised that legal options will be pursued at all fronts.

What about the leadership of the party in the state?

They were in it together, particularly Dino and Audu Abubakar. They organised everything. In fact, instead of the material to be at the party secretariat, the material was in Prince Abubakar Audu’s house.

But, Audu is from Kogi East and you contested in Kogi West?

He gave himself the general Chairman. He got all the material to himself.

But, there is the belief that the LP is losing its steam don’t you think the light might be dimming for the party?

The political history of every party, every nation, there is a time that looks like that. Like I said, Labour Party is a party of the future. Sooner or there would be changes and when there are changes, I believe labour party is the kind of party we will be thinking about. I think what we just need is some basic reforms and to realign ourselves with the Nigerian movement per say and do some little basic reforms and then the sky is the limit.

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