Senator Dino Melaye or Dino as he is popularly called is not someone who is afraid of controversy. He has been in the trenches of controversy since he unceremoniously left the PDP. After he left the PDP he became a thorn in the flesh of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Government and was often at the forefront of one protest or the other.
He gradually carved a name for himself as an activist of sorts with a penchant for rabble rousing and hubris. When the APC decided to launch a final onslaught against the PDP in 2014/2015, Dino was a visible figure at the various rallies and gradually gained some popularity as a mobilizer and loyal Party man. Alas Dino was a wolf in sheeps clothing and was merely acting out an evil and diabolical script to destroy the APC from within.
He eventually clinched the Kogi West Senatorial ticket and was subsequently declared winner of the seat in a keenly contested contest
Once he got the ticket on the platform of the APC, Dino began to mutate into a cartoon character of sorts. Some have in fact speculated that the name Dino cannot be a real name but was borrowed from the cartoon character popularized by the Flintstones television series.
In that popular series Dino was a metaphorical pet dog, and exhibited the characteristics of a typical domesticated canine. . He frequently leapt upon his master Fred Flintstone, yapping happily, and energetically licked his face. Dino could also be moved to anger, at which point he would snarl and snap.
Dino Melaye first began to unravel his plot when he pitched his tent with his master Bukola Saraki who sought to undermine the APC and President Muhammad Buhari’s change agenda. Saraki had co-opted Dino in his unholy plot with the PDP’s leadership to truncate the wishes of the Party. While Saraki played behind the scenes, Dino became his man-Friday/enforcer and openly defied the APC’s directives to support Ahmed Lawan for the Senate Presidency in the 8TH Senate. Dino, Saraki and other renegade APC Senators eventually forged and unholy alliance with the PDP to elect Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremandu as Senate President and deputy respectively. That black Tuesday became a very sore point for the APC Party leadership but Dino continued to mock the Party claiming that Party supremacy stopped at the door of the Senate building.
He again collaborated with Saraki to disregard the APC’s choices for the Principal officer positions. Dino was “Mr. visible” granting interviews and press conferences to justify Saraki’s position of open defiance of the Party’s wishes.
Around that time the Kogi State Election tribunal dismissed Smart Adeyemi’s petition against Dino’s election on what has now been adjudged to be technical grounds. Dino was ecstatic and felt he was invincible. Smart Adeyemi subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeal seeking redress.
Dino was so invigorated by his temporary victory that he even took jabs at the Court of Appeal saying that they were being influenced by Mohammed Adoke, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other faceless third parties to reverse his victory at the Tribunal.
Like a bolt out of the blue the most distinguished Senator Dino Melaye then informed us that he was also a private investigator to the high and mighty including Bukola Saraki’s wife, Toyin Saraki who had been summoned by the EFCC to answer money laundering charges. He said that he accompanied Toyin Saraki to the EFCC’s office in his capacity as her Private investigator. Apparently his genuflection and groveling to Toyin Saraki at the EFCC office was because he was her Private Investigator and not a Senator who was seeking to be compensated by her husband for his defiance of the Party that brought both of them to prominence.
As expected like a good pet, Dino was rewarded by Bukola Saraki with the Chairmanship of the highly visible Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Media & Publicity. Dino had become the new kid on the block and was even reputed to have granted interviews on his stupendous wealth and his political invincibility.
Suddenly the Appeal Court that Dino had earlier rubbished with his unguarded comments struck. Smart Adeyemi’s Appeal was upheld. The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja said that the Tribunal was hasty and did not do a good job in evaluating the evidence that Adeyemi’s petition was late. It further said that the Tribunal was wrong to have dismissed the Appeal on technicalities and that it should be tried on its merits.
Dino’s world that looked so bright and sunny was now looking gloomy and dire. The platform of the APC that he had so derided was now looking shaky and Smart Adeyemi now had another lease of life to throw Dino into the wilderness of defeat.
What is now left for Dino is to Pray. Pray to his God that Smart Adeyemi is not successful at the Tribunal. If Adeyemi is successful who will Dino run to, the APC, the PDP or his master Senator Bukola Saraki? Only time will tell. This may be a time for Dino to retrace his steps and hope for divine mercy.
Pray Dino, Dino please Pray !!!!!!!
Olufemi Ehinlayo wrote from Lagos.