The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has berated his counterpart Governor, Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State, over his comments on the ongoing recall process of Senator representing Kogi west senatorial district, Dino Melaye
Emmanuel, who had last week described Melaye as a ‘general’ in the Senate for performing well, wondered why his constituents should initiate a recall against the lawmaker.
The Akwa Ibom governor made the remark at an empowerment program, organized by the Minority Leader in the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Reacting to Emmanuel’s commendation of Melaye, the Director-General, Media and Publicity to Kogi State Governor, Kingsley Fanwo, said the decision of Emmanuel to refer to Melaye as a “general” in the senate was disturbing as he was rating a “non performing” senator.
Fanwo in a statement said Melaye told false stories of unpaid salaries in his state, thrilled the crowd with his Aje Kun Iya Ni’Oje signature while preaching his false message of death being reward for both lying and telling the truth.
He said, “We believe that Governor Emmanuel’s unveiled disdain for a long-suffering people trudging the booby-trapped path to the recall of their Senator in a bid to recover their dignity is uncalled for.
“What is even more appalling is Governor Udom Emmanuel’s decoration of Dino Melaye with the rank and privileges of ‘General’ among all the Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while consigning others to ‘Recruit’. Dino Melaye is a General in the Senate of the 8th Assembly where even Governor Udom Emmanuel’s accomplished predecessor sits? This is unprecedented.
“The irony is that Governor Emmanuel made these comments at an event where Senator Godswill Akpabio, one of Dino Melaye’s contemporaries in the Senate, empowered his own people with 4 tractors, over 800 power-generating sets, grain-grinding machines, and block molding machines. 100 computer sets and printers, as well as sewing machines, He also announced scholarships and grants to hundreds of students from his constituency.
“The Kogi West Senator attended his colleague’s Briefing and Constituency Empowerment event, not to learn how to represent well, but obviously as Comedian of the Day.
“He truly proved himself the ‘performing Senator’ Governor Udom Emmanuel called him that day. Governor Udom Emmanuel’s later remarks in praise of his guest was just the pepper Kogi people needed sprinkled on their wounds while people who’s Senator actually knows his job carted their dividends of democracy home.
“Now it is clear that Governor Udom Emmanuel seems to like our vacuous Senator so much, we would be much obliged if Akwa Ibom will take him off our hands for good. We can negotiate details of his transfer before the applicable windows close.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the good people of Kogi West, having decided they have had enough of Senator Dino Melaye’s selfish brand of misrepresentation, and having undertaken to tread this slippery slope to self-respect have the support of not just all of us in Kogi State, but of all Nigerians of goodwill, including upstanding Akwa Ibomites. We therefore urge our brother, the still very much respected Governor of our brother State, Akwa Ibom, to show more sensitivity in his future utterances.”
