Melaye uncomfortable with Gov Bello’s silence over assassination attempt

Senator Dino Melaye says he is suspicious over the silence of Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello over the assassination attempt on him (Melaye).

The lawmaker said Bello’s silence says a lot concerning the incident.

The senator said “It is outrageous and high sense of disbelief that four days after the attempt on his life, the Kogi State governor, the Chief Security Officer of the state, has neither called nor visited to know the state of affairs with him as a serving senator from Kogi State. The Governor’s deafening silence speaks volumes.”

Melaye, who said the incident would be the first in Kogi West senatorial district, also wondered how the district could go low to play politics of bitterness to a level of assassination.

Dino stated this in a statement he released through his Special Adviser on media, Gideon Ayodele. He described the situation as unfortunate.

The statement read in part, “Senator Dino Melaye declared his unrelenting resolution to continue to champion democratic courses targeted at good governance, masses empowerment and the Rule of Law. He promised never to relent in his fight against corruption, maladministration, impunity and nepotism.

“No amount of threat, blackmail, name-calling and harassment will stop him from being the voice of the voiceless and the mouthpiece of the common man”.

“It is outrageous and high sense of disbelief that four days after the attempt on his life, the Kogi State governor, the Chief Security Officer of the State, has neither called nor visited to know the state of affairs with him as a serving Senator from Kogi State. The Governor’s deafening silence speaks volumes”.

Noting that the other senators including senator Melaye and Senator Smart Adeyemi, had in the past had serious political differences without getting to a level of assassination, he alleged that the unfortunate event started with the coming of Governor Bello.

He said, “The recent incident is alien to Okun people and to Kogi West. The advent of Yahaya Bello as Governor and Taofiq Isa as Local Government administrator in the political firmament of Kogi State has brought this unfortunate socio-political paradigm shift.”

Meanwhile, the governor speaking through his Special Adviser on media and strategy, Kingsley Fanwo, said he was not going to join issues with Melaye.

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“We do not want to join issues with Senator Dino Melaye. He is an adult and can explain the path he has chosen to tread. If he accused the Governor of complacency in the so called assassination attempt, those who have been following the trend from the day his group promised to make Kogi ungovernable will not be surprised.

“The case is under investigation by the Police and making serious statements about it may be seen to be subjudice. We have been witnessing imaginary attacks in the state and when the Governor travelled to Kogi East, his antagonists also alleged he was attacked even when the opposite was the case.

“As a government, we believe the Nigeria Police is capable of getting to the root of the allegations and do justice to it once and for all. Governor Yahaya Bello is redefining leadership in Kogi State, therefore, the plan of ‘One Day One Trouble’ will not work,” he said.

 

 

 

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