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Kogi is an evil forest, I’m the messiah that will cleanse it – Dino
How could a government wake up and sack 120 professors in one day? But this was what we saw. Yahaya Bello, the current Kogi State government myopically and porously sacked 120 professors and lecturers at the Kogi State University. These are people who became professors in Nigerian first-generation universities.
This was one of the issues raised by Dino Malaye, Senator formerly representing Kogi West at the National Assembly, now governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 11 governorship election in the state, with which he painted what he described as the sordid picture unleashed in the state in the last seven years, by the government of Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress.
Dino, who described the state as an evil forest, vowed to begin its cleansing rites immediately he takes over next year as the new governor, vowing not only to restore it to its old glory, but surpass the dreams of the founding father, by tapping into the huge potentials in human and material resources.
Vowing to chase away the evil that had been plaguing the state over the years of the APC, the Senator, himself a founding member of the ruling party, both in the state and at the national level, while stressing that outside Ekiti, Kogi was next in the concentration of the highest number of academic professors in the country, stated that he would tap their knowledge in the development of the state.
A guest on Prime Time, an evening current affairs programme on Arise News, Dino, said: “Kogi State is like an evil forest that needs instantaneous redevelopment and needs a messiah. I’ll be instrumental in ameliorating the pains of those living in the state. Things have never been this bad in the history of Kogi. The state is now more divided than at any other time in the state’s history. I have never heard of the Igala, Okun, or Ebira agenda. All these, I am assuring you, will come to an end.
“Since the All Progressives Congress came into power in the state, they have completely polarised and divided the people, and there is serious disunity. Part of the PDP’s agenda is to first reunite the state. That is why our campaign slogan isOne Kogi, One Destiny. The satanic manifestation of the APC in Kogi State is legendary. A few days ago, the governor announced the upgrade of 300 traditional rulers. This is a manifestation of panic.”
Though he claimed he would never involve himself or the party in any form of violence or thuggry, which he said, had become the hallmark of the APC, he however assured the people of Kogi that the type of violence witnessed in the state in the 2019 election that gave Bello a second tenure would never repeat.
“This time, no matter what the APC is trying to do, the PDP will defend its vote, stand by our people, and defend our people. We will not allow what happened in 2019 to repeat itself. In 2019, a woman was burned alive. My nephew was shot dead within the perimeters of my compound. Eleven people were murdered on the day of my election, and a helicopter was spraying bullets from the sky on innocent people.
“The PDP is a peaceful party, and I am a peaceful man. I don’t believe in thuggery or violence, but we will defend ourselves. Tension has been part of the lives of the Kogi people since the APC came into power seven years ago. I have survived four assassination attempts; I have had 12 court cases of FG vs Dino Melaye, and I have been attacked severally. It is not new, as it is in the DNA of the APC to be violent.”
Regarding the interest that kept pushing him into the search for political offices despite these said ordeals, he said it had to do with the desire to serve the people, but maintained that because he had the protection of God, he believed no man could harm him and therefore not perturbed.
His words: “I keep coming back not because of a political ambition but because I have a big God who is always there for me. There is nothing man can do to me. Kogi is the only state where a level 16 officer is paid N16–20,000 and we cannot allow that to happen. We have to come out and defend the people. We are trying to rebuild what the APC has ruined.
I plan to bring change to the Kogi people because today we have a government without governance. The people are living in fear, and we need to restore their confidence in governance. We will do that by treating every Kogite like a customer, and as we know, the customer is always right and treated with respect, dignity, and decorum. We’ll fight insecurity and tame those who are responsible for violence in the state.
“There are no functioning primary schools in Kogi State. There are no teachers. Local government workers have not been paid, and those that are paid are paid 25 per cent of their salaries. “We launched a website just days ago, www.senatordinomelaye.org, where you will see ‘JUSTICE FOR KOGI WORKERS’, and we have requested that every worker that has been sacked visit the website and fill out the form.”
“In just a few days, over 300 people have visited the website and lodged complaints. I hope to reabsorb them back into their places of work, as they were vindictively dismissed in the first instance. The PDP will improve the IGR of Kogi State without taxing poverty. We have over two dozen mineral resources of commercial quality in Kogi, and only limestone has been tapped. We will make sure there is exploration of those mineral resources to the advantage of the state.
“I want to assure you that Dino Melaye is a global citizen. I have the contacts to make sure that we develop the facilities that will promote the marine movement. We have more than enough to drive tourism to our state.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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