Kogi govt to Dino: Kogi West never benefited from your seat

The faceoff between the Kogi State government and the senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye, got messier on Sunday as the state government said the people of the senatorial district had not benefitted from his representation.

The government said Melaye’s activities in the upper chamber of the national assembly were constituting disgrace to the government and the people of the state.

The government, in its position made known by the special adviser to the governor, Pius Kolawole, faulted Melaye’s alleged ethnic colouration being given to his attacks on the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

It accused the senator of trying to create religious tension in the state, saying the governor is somebody that has respect for religious institutions.

Kolawole said it was surprising that Melaye, who is supposed to be representing the interest of the people of Kogi west was busy fighting for a “selfish and egocentric” cause at the expense of burning national desires from his people.

He said, “The people of Kogi west ha e not enjoyed any dividend of good representation fro  Dino since he was sent to the national assembly, all he does is to engage in useless fight with colleagues and associates.

“We ask Dino, what bas happened to the huge constituency allowances hd has received since be went fo the senate? Whereis the quality representation he promised his people. Did the people of Kogi west send Dino to the senate to become a bodyguard or a Muhammed Ali of some sort?”

He said the governor remained the number one leader of the party in the state, adding that no gimmick by Dino and his cohorts could change the situation.

However, Melaiye in his reaction, urged Bello to come out publicly and deny the allegations levelled against him instead of sending his “kindergarten” aides to speak for him, adding that Bello should account for the N220 billion he had so for collected in the past one year.

The senator said he regretted the roles he played in ensuring that Bello became the governor of the state after the demise of Alhaji Abubakar Audi.

He said, “Even though I am currently regretting my role in enthroning him (Bello) as Governor amidst controversies, Yahaya Bello before the Primary election had no ten million naira in his account.”

“I had to personally go to some personalities to source for funds for Yahaya Bello against the supplementary election‎. There are a lot of role I played that made Bello Governor, which I won’t say for now.”

“Time to speak out more will come, so the entire world will define between myself and Bello.

“According to the general proverb, he who seeks for equity, must come out with clean hands, let him (Bello), go and pay workers their salaries‎ and suspend the unending screening, because the four- week ultimatum to do so still stands,” he stressed.