Dino Melaye, the Kogi State senator facing the humbling possibility of recall by his constituents, SaharaReporters learned, has fled Nigeria and vowed not to return until there is a new government at the federal level as well as a new one in his home state of Kogi. He also left a stern warning for the Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki, and the entire upper legislative chamber to their failure to fight his corner will bring down at least 30 senators.
Sources told SaharaReporters that on Saturday, Mr. Melaye called two senior staff of the Senate President to tell them to pass on the message that he needs the Senate to support him against Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, who is thought to be behind the recall and the recent trouble with the Police.
The sources said Mr. Melaye believes that his support for Mr. Saraki during the election to the office of Senate President.
A source said he overheard Mr. Melaye warning, during a phone conversation, that should he not get the support of the Senate President and the Senate, he would go public with how much has been spent to keep Mr. Saraki in office.
The source equally disclosed that Mr. Melaye is working on some senators to ensure that his troubles, to be dressed up as ‘persecution’, are raised on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday. According to the source, Mr. Melaye wants the Senate to pressure the Police to withdraw the charges of robbery slapped on him.
The senator rejected the suggestion that he should appear in the Senate and move a motion, saying he would be arrested and handcuffed by the Police.
On Saturday afternoon, said sources, some senators met at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja to discuss the threat issued by Mr. Melaye should he not get their support. Sources close to the meeting disclosed that his threat is considered by the senators to carry an enormous potential for embarrassing the leadership of the Senate.
This is said to be related to an investigation into the affairs of a telecommunications company through which the leadership and some other senators cut deals.
An emergency meeting is already fixed for Saturday night to discuss how to counter Mr. Melaye, who is said to have goods on the leadership of the Senate on account of his involvement in many dodgy transactions featuring the Senate leaders, should it be necessary.
