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Call it ‘double wahala’ for the embattled chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dino Melaye and you won’t be wrong.
The outspoken senator is facing the biggest political battle of his life after being in police custody on charges bordering on alleged gun running, even as the Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday commenced the recall process of the controversial lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District.
The lingering rift between the Senate and the Executive continue to claim victims from both sides of the divide. In the raging political chess game, both gladiators, President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki, have sacrificed their die-hard loyalists in the upper legislative chamber.
Senators who have been victims of the the roforofo fight, proxy war and power play between Saraki and Buhari include: Melaye (APC, Kogi), Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta), Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta), Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna), Rabiu Kwankwaso (APC, Kano), Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna), Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) and Isah Misau (APC, Bauchi).
Of the aforementioned senators, Melaye is biggest casualty of them all, having supported Saraki and Buhari with all his might. He abandoned his constituency and followed the then All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Buhari, to campaign grounds across 36 states of the federation in the buildup to the last general elections. As Master of Ceremony at All Progressives Congress presidential campaigns, he used every opportunity at his disposal to de-market the then President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, and praised Buhari to high heavens.
He offered himself as bodyguard to the Senate President and his wife, Toyin, to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) respectively. In 2015, he pledged absolute loyalty to Saraki, saying only death could make him stop supporting the country’s Number Three citizen. The controversial lawmaker took to Facebook to pledge his loyalty.
Hear him: “My brother and friend Senator Bukola Saraki, if you have 1 trillion supporters, I’m one; If you have one billion, I’m one; if you have one million, I’m one. If you have one thousand, I’m one; if you have ten, I’m one; if you have only one supporter, I’m one and if you have no single supporter, it means I’m dead. No shaking. Four years too sure”.
Melaye’s ordeal was complicated by the fact that he could not choose his battles wisely. He had so many enemies in the likes of his predecessor Smart Adeyemi; Buhari; Omo-Agege; Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu; former Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume; former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu; his wife Remi; Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris; Customs Comptroller General Hameed Ali; Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello; Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullahi Adamu; former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole; Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami; Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura among others.
I was at Melaye’s Maitama-Abuja residence – Number 11 Sangha Street – on Monday last week where over 100 stern-looking mobile policemen cordoned off his apartment. I went with other colleagues to his house to catch a glimpse of the stand-off. After watching the drama play out for over five hours, two heavily-armed policemen approached us and warned us to leave the street else we would be hit by ‘flying bullet’. According to him, they would get away with whatever happened to us at the scene.
Ironically, the same police are yet to arrest the armed thugs who invaded the Senate chambers two weeks ago. Omo-Agege who led the hoodlums was merely given ‘police protection’ out of the Complex.
If only the police could use the fervour I saw on that day at Melaye’s house to tackle the perennial farmers-herdsmen clashes, the number of deaths recorded in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna and Plateau and other states could have been prevented.
The ordeal of Melaye should serve as a lesson for others to be mindful when supporting one politician against the other. Former President Goodluck Jonathan spoke philosophically that “I am the most abused and insulted President in the world but when I leave office, you will all remember me for the total ‘freedom’ you enjoyed under me”.
Today, Melaye who was the cynosure of all eyes in the buildup to the 2015 general elections to Buhari’s admirers is now regarded as a villain by the powers that be.
Meanwhile, this week will be a beehive of activities in the Red Chamber. Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who earlier shunned Senate invitation on the arrest of Melaye and killings across the country to accompany President Buhari on a state visit to Bauchi State, is expected to appear on Wednesday before senators on live television.
Attention will also shift to the David Umoru-led Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, which is expected to give legal advice on whether President Buhari committed constitutional breaches by withdrawing $496 million from the Excess Crude Account for the purchase of 12 Tucano warplanes from the United States Government without National Assembly approval.
Adoption or rejection of the committee’s recommendations will determine if the upper legislative chamber will invoke Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution by commencing impeachment proceedings against the President.
I find it funny that some persons are justifying anticipatory approval by the President on the grounds that it is a security issue, whereas United States President Donald Trump sought Congress approval for the sale of the aircraft to Nigeria.
Amidst the power play, the status of the 2018 appropriation bill remains unknown.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
