By Ademola Tijani
The Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended Senator Dino Melaye for alleged anti-party activities.
Melaye’s suspension was executed by the Kogi State PDP executive committee in Ayetoro Gbede, Ward 1, which took the decision during a meeting of the Ward party executive committee, held earlier today (Friday, September 13) in Aiyetoro/Luagba Ward 1, following his failure to respond to a summon.
The meeting reviewed the findings of the disciplinary committee, which had been established to investigate the allegations against him.
The suspension letter, signed by the Ward Chairman, Abayomi Osamika and Secretary, Yodson Dayo, read: “Senator Dino Melaye’s conduct has brought embarrassment and disrepute to the party and his continued membership is no longer tenable. Therefore, the Ward party exco hereby suspends Dino Melaye from the Peoples Democratic Party, effective immediately. The suspension is in line with provisions of Article 59 (1) of the PDP constitution, which empowers the Ward party excos to take disciplinary actions against erring members.”
Melaye, a 2023 Kogi State governorship candidate, was suspended following comments in which he claimed that the PDP had been “commercialised and privatised.” In an August post on X, he stated that the PDP had lost its relevance in Nigeria’s political landscape, further accusing the acting PDP National Chairman Iliya Damagum, National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, and National Organising Secretary Umar Bature of contributing to the party’s decline.
He wrote, “End of the road for PDP as Damagum, Bature, and Anyanwu irredeemably destroyed the party. We will talk about the commercialisation and privatisation of PDP. PDP is now once upon a time.”
However, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba refuted Melaye’s claims, stating that the party has not been ‘commercialised’.
“The party is not commercialised. I don’t know what he means by that. The party is standing. Every party has its own challenges because they are managing people with different interests, backgrounds, considerations, and aspirations, and it is the capacity of the party that makes it a successful party. Even then, there will be challenges,” Ologunagba said.
“When you have systems and processes that allow for that (challenges), it shows that the party is not properly run. At each stage, there are other organs of the party, such as the Board of Trustees, the National Executive Committee, the Governors’ Forum, and the National Working Committee. There are safety nets for the management of the party and for review of processes in such a way that the party can reconcile all those competing and conflicting interests, so that’s what we do.
“So that means the party is commercialised? Well, I don’t know. I don’t want to speak to that. I don’t know what he means by commercialisation. I would assume that commercialisation means when you are selling something, and you’re receiving money for sale, which is what Melaye referred to, and that’s not correct.”
