- North-Central APC solidly behind Melaye – Zonal chairman
- Embattled lawmaker survives recall
The Police, on Sunday, dismissed insinuations that the force was working for Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State against the embattled lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, who is currently being held over alleged gun-running allegations.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, who spoke exclusively with our correspondent in a telephone interview, said that the insinuation that the police was working for the Kogi governor was totally wrong and unfounded.
Moshood, a chief superintendent of police, said, “It is wrong for anybody to say that. We are working in conformity with the position of the law. The law says anybody that committed an offence must be arrested, investigated and prosecuted. And you know that two people that we paraded in Kogi State confessed to the crime and mentioned that the senator gave them the bag containing firearms, and that he handed over the firearms to them.
“And in a case like this, the rule of law must be upheld, and that’s what we are doing. We are working for the whole nation. How will we work for the governor of a state, when we represent the interest of the whole country? So, we are not working for Governor Bello at all. Anybody that said so is just trying to mislead the public and we want people to disregard them.”
On the health condition of the embattled senator, the Force PRO said, “I wouldn’t know his health state; I am not a medical doctor. The medical doctor will be able to say that; you can as well go to the hospital to confirm that from the doctor with him. But what we know is that he is being attended to medically by government doctors.”
Melaye is currently on admission under police watch at the National Hospital, Abuja, where he is receiving treatment for the injuries he sustained from his alleged attempt to escape on Tuesday during his transfer to Kogi State.
The All Progressives Congress in the North Central Zone has, however, said that it will not abandon the controversial lawmaker.
The APC in the North Central Zone declared that in spite of his ordeal in the hands of the police and the commencement of his recall process by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the party in the zone remained solidly behind the embattled lawmaker.
The party’s Chairman in the zone, Alhaji Zakari Edde, said in an exclusive interview with our correspondent that the APC would continue to give Melaye its total support and backing.
Edde said that despite the allegations of gun-running levelled against the senator by the police, the North Central Zone of the APC to which the senator belongs would not leave him in the cold in his period of travails.
The zonal chairman said there was no reason for the APC in the zone to take any decision to abandon Melaye since he had not been proved guilty of the allegations leveled against him by the police in any competent court of law.
He added that the rumour making the round on the purported rejection of Melaye by the party in the zone could be the handiwork of some opponents of the party seeking means to disorganise the APC ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“Did you hear from him (Melaye) that we are no more together? For us, we have no reason to reject him, since he hasn’t done any wrong. Even the allegation before him has not been proved. So, why should we reject or abandon him?” Edde asked.
But a member of the National Assembly, who pleaded not to be identified, insisted that Melaye’s ordeal was orchestrated by the police, who had been playing to the gallery over the matter to satisfy Governor Bello, who had been at loggerheads with the embattled lawmaker.
The lawmaker, who is serving in the House of Representatives, said it was glaring that the police were acting a script by Bello, who had become Melaye’s sworn political enemy.
“It is very clear that the police are playing to the gallery over this case. They are working for the Kogi governor. If not, why is the Inspector General of Police overzealous over the matter? Why did they insist that the lawmaker should be moved to Kogi? Why didn’t they investigate him here in Abuja? For me, there is more to what is happening,” he alleged.
Dino Melaye survives recall
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the failure of the recall election for the embattled senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye.
INEC said only five per cent of the electorate turned out in an exercise that required 51 per cent majority to succeed.
The commission added that of the 189,870 signatories, only 18,742 were verified after Saturday’s exercise.
Announcing the results midnight, the INEC chief in charge of the election, Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti, said, “I affirm that the information on verification of signatures to the petition for the recall of Senator Dino David Melaye of Kogi West Senatorial District has taken place on this day, 28th day of April 2018, and that the verified signatures is 5.34% of the total number of registered voters in the constituency and has, therefore, not satisfied a requirement of the law for a referendum.”
A low turnout had on Saturday been recorded during the exercise.
