The Kogi state government has asked Senator Dino Melaye to stop orchestrating crisis in the state in his bid to save his drowning political career. Dino had an anti-
Yahaya protest in front of the polytechnic yesterday and during the protest, some armed men stormed the venue and
reportedly opened fire at the organisers and the participants, killing five people including a student of the Kogi state
polytechnic, Saka Seidu. According to Dino, it was his bulletproof car that saved his life.
He accused the state governor of
contracting the armed men to assassinate him.
Reacting to his claim, Governor Yahaya Bello in a statement released by his chief press
secretary, Petra Akinti Onyegbule, cautioned the Senator from orchestrating crisis in the
state all in his bid to save his drowning career. Recall that members of the Kogi West senatorial district are currently
collating signatures for Dino’s recall from the senate. Governor Yahaya asked Dino to
desist from further plunging the State into needless political crisis capable of threatening the peace and security of the people in the State. The statement reads:
“The Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello sadly condemns the unruly conduct, political violence and needless crisis orchestrated by Senator Dino Melaye in a bid to foil his recall from the National Assembly which led to the
brutal murder of Saka Seidu, a
student of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja. The Governor sincerely regrets the unfortunate incident and calls on the people, youth and students of Kogi to remain calm, law- abiding and refrain from taking laws
into their hands in the face of
imminent threat to their life and
security, whilst assuring them of
continued safety and maintenance of security in the State. He urges the embattled Senator to desist from further plunging the State into needless political crisis capable of threatening the peace and security of the people in the State. He is appalled that despite his commitment towards
ensuring safety and security for the indigenes and inhabitants of the State and endeavour to rid the State of insecurity and political thuggery, the embattled Senator remains hell- bent on causing mayhem in the State in a bid to save his drowning political
career.
He hereby reiterates his firm
commitment to ensuring continuous security and safety of lives and properties in the State as he vows not to relent in his administration’s lofty
strides in securing the life of every
inhabitant in the State. The Governor calls on young people to desist from being readily available as cheap tools to malicious politicians’ devilish use
and manipulation. He reiterated that their lives are precious and should not be sacrificed on the altar of any selfish politician’s political expediency. He recalled that the State Government had petitioned the Presidency and the Inspector General of Police in January of 2017 on the likelihood of such an outbreak of violence but wonders why no action
was taken. He called on the
authorities to expedite action on the petition to ensure there is no repeat of today’s unfortunate incident. He thus urged the Senator with a notorious antecedent for political
violence from further plunging the State of Kogi into needless political violence and security crisis whilst advising him to honour his constituents’ rights to exercise their constitutional obligations”.
