Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West, on Friday accused Governor Yahaya Bello of sponsoring youths who staged a protest against the alleged donation of 1,260 bags of rice by some senators to civil servants in Kogi.
The protest was carried out along the Abuja-Lokoja highway causing gridlock as the youths trooped into the expressway for about an hour to express their displeasure over the donation.
In a series of tweets, Melaye accused Bello of spending N10million on the protest, calling him an olodo (dumb) governor.
GYB has mobilized his thugs backed by his paid police men to barricade the entry to Lokoja from Abuja with the intention of attacking SDM
— Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) October 27, 2017
1)Another 10million naira Kogi State money wasted by Yahaya Bello who was deceived to believe that the rice donated by the senate is on
— Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) October 27, 2017
2) its way to lokoja this morning. 10 million was then released to thugs to stop the rice from coming into lokoja and to also disparage SDM
— Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) October 27, 2017
3) Hahahaha Double wahala for dead body and the owner of dead body. Olodo governor. – Dino Melaye
— Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) October 27, 2017
President of Kogi Youth Movement for Credible Leadership (KYMCL), Mustapha Abdullahi, who led the protest, however, expressed disappointment over the attitude of Melaye who moved the motion to donate rice to the civil servants on the floor of the Senate on October 25.
He expressed concern that Melaye could lead the action to drag the image of Kogi in the murky mud of politics.
“This act is unpatriotic and a slap on the good image of our people and a mockery on the plight of Kogi State civil servants and civil servants across the country who are suffering the same fate due to dwindling economic situation nationwide.
“If this act by the senators was done in good fate, the donation should have been done for civil servants nationwide.
“But because it was laced with politics of wickedness and hatred for the common civil servant, a mockery 1,260 bags of rice was conjured to demean the sacred pride of our people,” he said.
Abdullahi called on all civil servants in Kogi to raise their heads above the parody of bags of rice from the senators, restating their absolute support for the recall of Melaye by his constituents.
The protesting youths carried banners and placards with various inscriptions like “Kogi is not IDP camp”, “Bags of rice cannot stop your recall”, “Sidon look Senators, leave Kogi alone”, “Labour shine your eyes, avoid monkey pox rice” and “Bye bye to ghost worker syndrome in Kogi”.
