There was mild drama, yesterday, at 8th fidau prayers for late Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Buba Jubril, in Lokoja, Kogi State, as operatives of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, failed to arrest the senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, who was at the event.
The Police had a few days ago, declared the senator wanted over his implication in handing over illegal weapons to some kidnappers who claimed to be his thugs.
The SARS’ operatives had stormed Kabawa Primary School, Lokoja, venue of the fidau prayers, in efforts to arrest Senator Melaye but were awe-struck as local vigilante men encircled him and made it impossible for the SARS operatives to get close to him.
Melaye actually stole the show on the occasion, raising his two fingers to acknowledge cheers from the crowd who greeted him with loud ovation.
Dino, after the prayer session was escorted into the waiting vehicle of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, by the local vigilantes who formed a ring round him.
The SARS’ operatives, who later besieged Chief Rasaq Kutepa’s House at the GRA, where the reception took place, were disappointed to see Melaye in the convoy of the Senate President leave for the late Buba’s House from where they left for Obajana airstrip for a flight to Kastina.
Earlier at the fidau prayer session, Leader of the House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila, had said the death of Buba Jubril still left him in tears. Gbajabiamila said the more he talked about Buba, the more he got sad and was forced to cry.
He said: “He was a personal friend, a leader and a colleague, we learned a lot from each other, we are going to miss him. I am trying to absorb the shock in my system, you can see the amazing crowd at the prayer,that is a testament to the kind of person he was.
“Politicians should continue to work hard with commitment and just do the best and leave the rest. Live every day as if it’s your last day on earth.” The immediate past governor of the State, Idris Wada, said Buba’s death was a major loss to Kogi politics.
He said: “Buba is a very nice man, very vibrant politician. He has the interest of the people at heart. We will all miss him greatly. We pray that his soul rests in peace.
“Death should teach politicians that there is an end to everything in life. That is why we should not push things beyond limit. “We all miss Buba. He was a great man and he has contributed positively to the upliftment and the politics of Kogi State. His politics and style make him a man of the people, he listens to people and he does something about their complaints.
“He is just a good man. He had network across the country, a detribalized Nigerian with very good qualities and he was not a religious bigot, politicians should emulate him.”
Meanwhile, Senator Dino Melaye, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, seeking an order restraining the INEC from proceeding with his recall from the Senate.
Melaye’s appeal is a sequel to a judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal on March 16, which gave INEC the go-ahead to continue with the recall.
In a notice of appeal filed by his Counsel, Mr. Mike Ozekome, (SAN), Melaye wanted an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from commencing or further continuing with his recall or acting on the purported petition.
Melaye also asked the apex court to set aside the March 16 judgment of the Court of Appeal.
He further sought an order declaring the petition purportedly presented to INEC by some purported constituents for his recall as illegal, unlawful, wrongful, unconstitutional, invalid, null and void and of no effect.
Melaye, in addition, prayed for a declaration that the recall purportedly initiated against him by INEC and on the basis of the petition was illegal since it commenced on the basis of an invalid petition.
In addition, Melaye, asked the apex court to declare that the 90 days period as provided for under Section 69(b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended had elapsed.
According to him, having elapsed, INEC can no longer proceed on the basis of the purported petition.
He said the Court of Appeal erred in law when it held that it was not for the court to verify the signature on the petition.
He said the court held that it was the duty of INEC, by reason of which the court failed to invalidate the petition presented to INEC.
It would be recalled that the appellate court had in its judgment delivered by Justice Tunde Awotoye, leading two other justices, dismissed all the grounds of appeal filed by Melaye.
The appellate court held that the 90 days stipulated by the constitution within which a recall process would take place had no time limit as it could be extended.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on Sept. 11, 2017, dismissed a suit filed by Melaye, seeking to stop INEC from initiating his recall from the National Assembly.
Dimgba held that Melaye’s complaints were hasty, premature and presumptuous and therefore ordered the INEC to go ahead with its planned verification.
