Former Nigerian senator, Dino Melaye has disclosed how he reacted when a supporter of NIgerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu begged him for money amid economic hardships in the country.
The politician said he brought out his cheque book and wrote “Renewed Hope” on it.
Recall that ‘Renewed Hope’ is the slogan on which President Tinubu based his campaign.
Former lawmaker representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye has taken a swipe at the Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Illiya Damagum following reports of his suspension from the party.
Reacting to his suspension by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in his Ward, Melaye accused Damagum of being the party’s problem.
The PDP Excos in Ayetoro Gbede, Ward 1 had suspended Melaye for anti-party activities and alleged misconducts.
The exco said the former lawmaker was suspended following his refusal to honour a summon.
The resolution to suspend the former Kogi West senator was taken by the Ward party executive committee during a meeting in Aiyetoro/Luagba Ward 1 on Friday.
This was after a review of the report of the disciplinary committee set up to investigate alleged anti-party activities against Melaye.
The resolution was signed by the Ward Chairman, Abayomi Osamika and Ward Yodson Dayo, Secretary.
However, in a video posted on X, Melaye said: “You can’t suspend breeze, Damagun is the source of PDP problems. His belly is his God.”
The Ijumu Local Government Area chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, has dismissed reports that the 2024 gubernatorial candidate of the party, Sen Dino Melaye was suspended over alleged anti-party activities.
The chapter, in a statement released on Friday and signed by the PDP Chairman in Ijumu Local Government Council, Olorunmaiye Olabode, said the earlier-announced suspension of Melaye was done by external enemies of the party.
He added that the letter of suspension was forged and that those behind the purported suspension do not have the powers to suspend such an important member of the party as Melaye.
According to the statement, the move to suspend Melaye was hastily made in order to execute the malicious and mischievous plan of those behind the suspension.
The statement read as follows: “We stand firmly with the party, the Constitution thereof, and the Guidelines & Regulations that are issued from time to time. We stand by the fact that no materials were brought to Ijumu LGA to carry out the Ward Ad hoc Congress on the 27th of July, 2024.
“We stand by the truth that no LGA Congress was held in Ijumu LGA at any time to elect a National Delegate. We did not participate in the purported State Congress, which was illegally held in Lokoja on the 31st of August, 2024, knowing that it was a failed kangaroo arrangement.
“We are aware of a communiqué in circulation which was concocted by external enemies of the party from outside Ijumu, who are forces of destabilization and who want to remove our leader, the leader of the party in the state, His Excellency, Senator Dino Melaye, who is the voice of the voiceless, so they can ride roughshod over loyal party members in Kogi State.
“We categorically and unequivocally state that the said purported letter of expulsion is a forgery and cannot stand. It is so ridiculously and hurriedly written that the day and date do not tally.
“We also state that such a correspondence, which is meant to expel an important member of the Party like Senator Dino Melaye, cannot be handled in this criminal manner. No PDP member in Kogi has done what our leader has done nationally for the PDP.
“We challenge these traducers to mention any anti-party activities of Senator Dino Melaye. The man who still pays for the accommodation of the Party at the state headquarters, paid salaries of staff, bought 10,000 copies of membership cards just last month and distributed them among party members and new joiners, and gave 2 million naira to the party just last month as running costs.
“We, therefore, state for the record that it is a breach of the Party’s Constitution not to follow due process in the haste to execute this malicious and mischievous plan. We urge all members of the party in Ijumu and the state as a whole to disregard the purported dismissal or expulsion of our staunch, loyal, committed, and unflinching state leader, who abhors anti-party activities in all ramifications and for which reason he is being vilified by agents of destruction.”
Recall that ward executives in the Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suspended former Senator, Dino Melaye.
Melaye was suspended by the PDP exco in Ayetoro Gbede, Ward 1 for failing to honour an invitation by the party for alleged anti-party activities.
Melaye’s suspension was contained in a statement jointly signed by the PDP Ward Chairman, Abayomi Osamika, and the Secretary, Yodson Dayo.
Dino Melaye, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11 Kogi governorship poll, says he would run an inclusive government if elected into office.
In a statement released on Saturday by Melaye’s media team, the PDP candidate spoke during a visit to the palace of Abdulrazaq Isa Koto, Ohimege Igu of Koton Karfi.
The former senator representing Kogi West said he would run the state with “fear of God” if elected.
Melaye added that he would be “a governor for all” regardless of ethnic group.
“As you are aware, His Royal Majesty, in the space of 4 years as senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I did 19 projects in your Kogi LGA. I have a very special relationship with Kogi and by the grace of God, when elected as governor, I will focus attention on the needs of our people, particularly the ecological challenges in this area,” the PDP candidate said.
“We are not unaware that the major business in this area is agriculture, trading and transportation. We shall make these ventures the focus of our administration by providing incentives that will encourage our people.
“I will be a Kogi governor that will govern our state with the fear of God. I will run an all-inclusive governance not as an Igala, Ebira, Okun, Kakanda, Bassa, Koto or Nupe governor but as a governor for all under the guidance of the Almighty God.
“I congratulate you as the leader of the Kogi west traditional rulers and I pray that under your leadership, Kogi West will produce a governor. I, therefore, seek your blessings as we go into the polls.”
On April 16, Melaye won the PDP primary for the Kogi gubernatorial election, defeating Idoko Ilonah, his closest challenger, by 189 votes.
He will face Ahmed Ododo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the governorship election scheduled to take place on November 11.
Dino Melaye, the Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate for November 11 governorship poll, has reacted following his victory.
He commended the leadership of the party, his co-contestants and party members for their conduct in the primary election which was held on Sunday in Lokoja, the State capital.
Melaye, a former lawmaker who represented Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly polled a total of 313 votes in the indirect primary election to beat 8 other aspirants to clinch the ticket.
In a statement made available to newsmen in the early hours of Monday, Melaye said, “I thank the leaders of our party at the National, State, Local and ward levels, my dear brothers who advanced the cause of democracy in this contest and our numerous supporters who ensured that peace reigned, decorum prevailed, and conflicts were contained all through the process.
“As I savour this moment in humility, I return again to the scriptures. I recall the task and support that God gave to Moses to lead the people of Israel out of bandage to freedom. By the grace of God, our state will be liberated from the yoke of Yahaya Bello and APC. I also found a correlation between the new responsibility that God is placing on me and the responsibility that he gave to Gideon, who though felt unworthy, was qualified by God to deliver his people from the Gibeonites who had plundered their land and eaten their harvest.
“This shall be our experience in Kogi state. Furthermore, I think of Jephthah, who was despised and was called unserious. God has just proved that he takes my matter very seriously.
“The outcome of today’s (Sunday’s) election is not traceable to the strength of anyone in our state. It is a collective victory; the manifestation of a new spirit and purposeful coalition of all peoples across our beloved state. I acknowledge especially the enormous energy and commitment deployed to this endeavour by my sister, Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan, and her beloved husband. Your day of celebration is very near, by the grace of God.
“I recognise that contests of this nature are hardly devoid of offences. I ask for forgiveness for all personal and corporate infractions in all my political navigations.”
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has stated that his party member, Dino Melaye is not fit to be the governor of Kogi state.
According to him, Melaye doesn’t have the competence to governor the state.
Wike stated this during a media chat on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Recall the screening committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had cleared Melaye, Reuben Atabo (SAN), and eight others as aspirants for its ticket in the forthcoming Kogi State governorship election.
The others are Engr. Musa Wada, Sen. Atai Aidoko Ali, Barr. Mohammed Kabiru Usman, Abayomi Awoniyi, Bolufemi Olarotimi, Abdullahi Haruna (SAN), Gideon Ojata and Idoko Kingsley Ilonah.
Wike stated that the former Kogi West lawmaker is not worthy to be the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming election.
According to the governor, Melaye is an “actor” and does not have any qualities to lead the people of the North Central State.
Senator Dino Melaye, one of the spokespersons for Atiku, Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, has slammed the INEC chairman.
Melaye insisted that Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, must resign.
The former lawmaker gave the demand in a post via his Twitter handle on Saturday.
Melaye’s call is coming against the backdrop of threat of lawsuit by Yakubu on the allegation that he rigged the presidential election by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Recall that the party had called for the police and the Department of State Services, DSS, to investigate the INEC boss over alleged manipulation of election results.
The PDP said the call followed further review of the “the widely-condemned infractions, brazen violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and criminal manipulation and alteration of election results”.
PDP alleged that INEC subverted the will of Nigerians in the just concluded February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
However, Yakubu’s Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi said the call was misplaced and challenged the PDP to prove its claims in the law court.
He wondered why the party did not provide evidence to back up the spurious allegations, further maintaining that the electoral commission does not rig elections.
But not yet satisfied, Senator Melaye insisted that Yakubu must go, alleging that he “superintended over a criminal enterprise yahoo yahoo INEC.”
“Prof Mahmud Yakubu must resign. Such level of criminal audacity & impunity bastardizes the rule of law and diminished him as a referee who scored a goal in a match.
“Mahmood must goooo,” he tweeted.
Senator Dino Melaye, the Chief Spokesperson for the Atiku-Okowa presidential council, has made a new revelation.
He said the Peoples Democratic Party presidential campaign council spent over N400billion on their campaigns.
The spokesperson disclosed this in a video obtained by the PUNCH on Monday night.
In the one minute 45 seconds video, the Melaye said that the whole concept of redesigning the naira was a deception.
This is coming hours after the PDP leadership led by Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and other party chieftains stormed the headquarters of INEC to protest the declaration of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, as the president-elect after the February 25, 2023 elections.
The PDP, Labour Party, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party rejected the election results describing the election as being marred by violence, rigging, lacking integrity by the non-uploading of the presidential results on the IRev portal in real time on the election day thereby calling for its cancellation among others.
The PDP had also lamented what it described as the irregularities recorded during the conduct of the elections.
Melaye further remarked that “to make sure that the mandate of the people given freely to Atiku Abubakar is retrieved, we spent over N400bn just for a caricature show. INEC deceived Nigerians.
On the naira redesign, the spokesperson alleged that “because money was given to Bola Tinubu, the APC shared new notes on Election Day across the country and the PDP was starved of funds. Naira redesign was a ploy by INEC to deceive Nigerians.
He also called on all PDP supporters, lovers of democracy all over the country not to allow this to stand.