Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, has repeatedly said he is ready to pay the Supreme Price by leveraging on the ‘Save Kogi Project’ to oust the incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello from office. KEHINDE OSASONA writes on the imminent implosion that may likely thwart Kogi’s fragile peace.
Gov. Bello vs Dino: Before things fall apart
When the going was good between the embattled Senator Dino Melaye and Governor Yahaya Bello, the former served as the chairman of the Transition Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that worked out the modalities for a hitch-free handing over of power to Bello and his eventual inauguration on January 27, 2016.
Based on the obvious affinity that existed between them, Dino was the one that played the role of Master of Ceremony during the inauguration ceremony at the main bowl of the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja.
There and then, Dino did not hide his support for the governor when he told the mammoth crowd of dignitaries and well-wishers that turned out for the inauguration ceremony that Kogi people voted for Audu but God voted for Bello. The very elated Dino went on to urge the people to give unalloyed support and cooperation to the new government, which he said was “divinely orchestrated.”
Before their feud festered, Bello had enjoyed cordial working relationship with Melaye, who he considered as one of his close political allies. Keen followers of political happenings in Kogi state would recalled that Dino was among the first set of people to throw their weight behind Bello when the APC leadership was against his emergence.
Lately, there have been speculations that the relationship between the duo got battered because the governor no longer carry Senator Melaye along in the scheme of things in Kogi State especially on appointments. But Governor Bello’s Director-General on Media and Publicity, Mr Kingsley Fanwo was quick to dispel it noting particularly: “the political impasse between Dino and his principal was beyond the issue of appointments made by the present administration,”
Despite intermittent denial, it was learnt that prior to breakdown of relationship, Senator Melaye was so excited and hopeful of a new Kogi State under Governor Bello and in return, the governor also gave him the privilege of nominating a woman for the position of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), in the person of Dr Ayoade Folashade Arike, who still occupies the position today.
Bello: From a ‘divinely orchestrated’ to ‘coronated’ governor
Recalled that Senator Melaye, once ascribed the appellation ‘divinely orchestrated’ to describe the victory of Governor Bello, at the poll in 2015. However, pundits in Kogi political firmament are now asking questions as to what could have suddenly informed the new lexicon ‘Coronated Governor’- a derogatory term being presently used to describe the governor.
In the thick of their fights, the lawmaker allegedly described the State Governor, Yahaya Bello as a “coronated governor” and not an elected one. He said: ‘back then that “Yahaya Bello is not an elected governor, he was coronated, hence his outrageously calamitous exhibition of wickedness on the State.”
However, informed sources say that before the current face-off snowballed into crisis, issues pertaining to non-appointments of party loyalists into position was already tearing the party and creating wide gap between government house and party secretariat in the state.
It seems Melaye had thought Bello, who seems to be a fledgling politician, would be easily wrapped round his and other more experienced politicians’ big fingers. Melaye and his ilk may have assumed it would be relatively easier to influence, manipulate and control Gov Bello dictating to the young governor at will. But it was not to be. Governor Bello disappointed them. He turned out to be his own man, and clearly demonstrated that he needed no Man Friday neither would need one to do his biddings.
Also, a dependable source, who is in the know, equally divulged to Blueprint newspapers that party members in the state are finding it difficult to access the governor again. According to him, the governor has not allowed the party secretariat to have a say on any issue. In fact, the more you look in Kogi now, the less you see.
He said: “Some people have hijacked our governor in Kogi state and he hardly listens to anyone again. The communications gap has further polarised our party in the state and it is now being split into splinters group.
As I speak to you, many of our party elders are merely exhibiting what late Bola Ige called ‘Siddon look’ so as not to incur the wrath of the governor. All this was already happening before the recent party crisis in the state. I just hope reconciliation will come quick in order to save the future of our party in Kogi State
Battle royale !
Now that the Confluence state is in turmoil politically ahead of the 2019 elections, observers say that there could be more to the Dino/Bello face-off than meet the eye. They are already attributing it to the 2019 struggle. The two camps have, over the past few months, thrown a lot of missiles at each other, either directly or indirectly, and had engaged in a number of protests for and against the two politicians both within and outside the State.
Justifying his recent verbal attacks and outbursts against the person and office of the governor, Senator Melaye had on different occasions insisted that his main grouse with the governor was over the non-payment of salaries and pensions to workers and pensioners, as well as the continued closure of all tertiary institutions in the state on the account of strike embarked upon by lecturers due to non-payment of salaries.
According to his Spokesperson, Gideon Ayodele: “Senator Dino started disagreeing with Yahaya Bello when he started working outside the party structure. Governor Bello has no respect for the party that produced him. That accounts for the various appointments he made without the input of the party.
“Concerning the claim by some people who are ignorant that Senator Dino was not happy with the appointment of Honourable Taofiq Isa as the administrator of Ijumu Local Government, Melaye wouldn’t have consented to whatever will affect the existing peace and arrangements that have been laid down through a gentleman understanding.
“There are three axis in Ijumu, and by our rotational agreement, the next person to administer the affairs of the local government was expected to come from Ijumu Oke, simply because the immediate past chairman was from Ijumu Arin, and the one before him was from Gbede axis, and Honourable Taofiq is from Gbede, so appointing him amounted to cheating on the good people of Ijumu Oke”.
Firing back, the governor camp accused the Melaye that he became enraged when the governor refused to “share the elephant” to a select few, but rather decided to use the commonwealth for the common good. In the word of the Director General of Media and Publicity to the governor, Kingsley Fanwo, he said Senator Melaye grouse stemmed from the fact that he was not comfortable with the appointment of Alhaji Taofiq Isah, a grassroots politician as the administrator of Ijumu Local Government Council from the on-set.
Isah is a trusted fellow being one of the highly competent grassroots mobilizers during the Gov Bello’s campaigns. “They were given elaborate orientation to help drive the New Direction Agenda of his administration. Alhaji Isah was the coordinator for the five local government councils of Okunland. He was also the APC chairman for Ijumu Local Government Council. Senator Melaye urged the governor to drop Alhaji Taofiq Isah, but the governor remained loyal to his commitment. The senator felt bad about that,’’ Fanwo said.
Power struggle and Kogi’s fragile peace
Is Kogi a politically deadlocked State?
As it were, the State is on a cliff hanger and the growing tension in the confluence state is yet to wane rather it has taken a new dimension.
Of late, Melaye was quoted as having said: “The project Save Kogi” is a child of necessity because we now only live in Kogi State not only in perilous times, but we live in times of vicissitude.
“But there is always a time in history when we shall conquer fears There is a time in history, when men shall come out gallantly and reject satanic manifestation of a wicked, nefarious and draconian leader”, he said in apparent reference to their preparedness to confront Gov Bello headlong in coming days.
My grouse with Bello
Reminiscing on their wrangling, Melaye said in an interview: “I did not start fighting Bello until after one year in office, because I felt one year was enough to assess him. I drew the conclusion that he is not only promoting bad governance in the state but he is an enemy of the people. His actions and inactions portray myopism, intellectual stagnancy and total confusion,”
Recently too, Melaye had accused the Governor Bello-led government of planning attacks against him for daring to speak for the “voiceless civil servants and pensioners in the state, who are being owed salaries and pensions for about 15 months,’’ insisting that he would not be silent.
Months after, the political differences between the duo had since continued to degenerate with series of ‘pro and anti’ protests across the state, press conferences and statements, coupled with alleged assassination attempts made on the life of Senator Melaye on two occasions.
According to Melaye, the first attempt on his life was on April 15, 2017 in his country home at Aiyetoro Gbede, while the second attempt occurred on June 12, 2017 at the gate of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, where he was holding an anti-government rally. One person died in the ensuing mayhem.
Bello’s visit to Osinbajo came barely two days after a political rally attended by Senator Melaye turned deadly. The Kogi State Polytechnic had confirmed that a student died in the fracas, which broke outside the school’s campus, where the rally was held.
Also, two State Security Service agents attached to Senator Melaye it was learnt got injured during the fracas, while his SUV car was said to have been defaced by bullets. Penultimate week too, men of Kogi State SARs reportedly stormed the FCT High Court premises where hearing on a case involving Dino was on-going. Findings later revealed that their mission was to whisk the lawmaker away
Expectedly, Governor Bello had accused Melaye of hurriedly putting together the gathering in order to beat back on the move to recall him from the Senate.
Firing another salvo, the governor vowed that all the lawmakers would not return in 2019, while Senator Melaye was recently quoted as saying that ‘ if anyone wants to talk like that, it’s not a man that has committed electoral fraud, who is awaiting trial and obviously will soon go to prison.
And I had a dream recently where I saw Yahya Bello’s prison uniform specially decorated with embroidery, so I’ll be shocked that Yahaya is already threatening people not to come back because, he’s not a voter in Kogi State, so he cannot contest.
The recall that never was
During the ‘recall’ debacle, a frontline actor in the recall process in Lokoja Local Government Area, Abdulmalik Suleiman, said people of Kogi West were not induced or influenced by anyone to commence the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye. He said the people were disenchanted because Dino had failed to provide them good representation but rather engaged in petty and unnecessary controversies in the Senate.
“Dino has become an embarrassment to Kogi West in particular and the state in general. Since we elected him to the senate, the primary work expected of him as a parliamentarian was not done. Dino has evaded his responsibility and has been pursuing pecuniary and selfish interests.
“He has never thought about how to bring the dividends of democracy to his people. He is rather taking on individuals. If he is not molesting Tinubu’s wife today, he will be there diverting attention to the issue of how Ali Hameed must wear Customs’ uniform.
“We did not elect him to be meddling in all these petty issues. We elected him to serve the people. Buying all those roadside awards, being the best senator and all those worthless things are not the reason we sent him there. This recall is an opportunity for us to redeem the mistake we made in 2015 by electing Dino,”
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the constituents, Pius Kolawole, confirmed that the constituents across the seven local government areas that make up Kogi West senatorial district were the one that compiled alleged offences committed by Senator Dino, upon which they based their demand for his recall then.
However, Senator Melaye has refuted the claim noting instead: “I want to say that those seeking my recall from the Senate are not my constituents. My constituents did not participate in any recall. It is the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who is orchestrating the recall.
“The process is being coordinated by his political appointees and the sole administrators of the seven local government areas in my senatorial district. They sat down in the comfort of their houses, got the registers used by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2015 elections, transferred them into a recall sheet and forged signatures (of people).
“In their desperation to get result for what they want, the names of dead voters appeared in the recall sheet they submitted to INEC. It was also discovered that wrong voter registration numbers appeared on the recall sheet,”
New twist and reconciliation moves
Meddling in the crisis when it first reared its ugly head, the Prince Tony Momoh committee saddled with the responsibility of brokering a truce had identified salient issues that led to serious crisis in Kogi APC, and at the same time, proffered solutions.
“But as I said, there are personal issues within the key actors (Bello and Dino). You are aware that traditional rulers in Kogi State are also wading into the matter, and we believe the outcome would be positive,’’ he noted.
Another official of the party said that besides mediation, the APC constitution was not ambiguous on issues like the one in Kogi. “We have issues in many states and we are resolving them and coming out stronger. Kogi will not be an exception. Both the governor and Senator Dino believe in the supremacy of the party,’’ he said.
Recently, the President has given Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a party leader the go-ahead to reconcile aggrieved party persons across the country in order to mend APC’s cracked fence ahead crucial elections coming in 2019. Observers believe that the peculiarity of Kogi fracas might make peace to elude them should Tinubu’s team berths in Kogi State, eventually.
Nevertheless, a Lokoja-based politician has attributed the fierce fight for the soul of Kogi State to the quest to change the present occupant of the Lugard House saying it behoves on all have their hands on the deck to salvage the situation.
