Despite trending online, confusion reigns over Senator Dino Melaye’s ‘defection’ to PDP 

The Senator representing the Kogi West Senatorial Constituency, Senator Dino Melaye has resumed plenary but not without igniting controversy.

Melaye who resumed plenary on Wednesday after weeks of absence, during which he posted pictures of himself wearing an orthopaedic neck band, simply refused to sit on the row of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He asked to be moved from the APC  side of the chamber to that of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Melaye, who resumed plenary after his encounter with the police and being on admission at the National Hospital Abuja for a while asked Senate President Bukola Saraki for permission to leave his allotted seat and move to the opposite side of the Senate chamber.

To the astonishment of lawmakers from his party, the senator said he preferred  to sit beside the former Senate President, Senator David Mark.

Melaye said his reason for wanting a change of seat was because his present seat is no longer comfortable after his ordeal with the police and his health issues.

But the lawmakers from the ruling APC kicked against the move by Senator Melaye arguing that it is against the constitution. Meanwhile, the opposition lawmakers welcomed Melaye with open arms.

The confusion around Melaye’s actions stems from the rules of the National Assembly on defection from one party to another, which includes the rule that the defecting member must write the Speaker or Senate President.  The letter upon being read at plenary, signals the defection of the member.

Besides, the Constitution clearly states that a clear  division at the national level of a political party as the reason based on which a member can defect. There are no factions at the national level in the APC.

Frontline News Online noticed that ‘Dino Melaye’ was the number 1 trending topic in Nigeria on Twitter this evening. But the Kogi senator had not announced that he had dumped the APC on his Twitter handle or on Instagram where he has been active of late.

This is Nigerians have argued over the appropriateness of Melaye’s defection, with many disagreeing if his sitting on the PDP side automatically means that he has dumped the APC.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the APC, Bolaji Abdullahi in his initial reaction, stated that Melaye had not informed the party he was leaving for the PDP.

But when informed that the senator didn’t present a letter stating his wish to defect, Abdullahi concurred that the lawmaker can only be said to have defected if he had done so officially.

 In a related development a ranking member of the House from Kaduna State, Adams Jagaba defected back to the PDP yesterday. His defection letter was read on the floor of the House.

Meanwhile, Frontline News Online gathered from a principal officer of the House that the APC majority in the National Assembly is greatly under threat as many aggrieved lawmakers will leave the ruling party for other parties ahead of the 2019 election.

He identified the need to get a return ticket to the National Assembly and the advantage of sticking with powerful political godfathers, who may also leave the APC, as the main reasons for the predicted exodus of APC members this year.

“There is the likelihood that Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who is a strong political ally to the Sokoto State governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal will leave the APC and it’s the same thing for the governor, who is interested in running for the presidency.

“Just like when Tambuwal defected to the APC and managed to remain Speaker, Dogara will defect, due to his poor relationship with his governor and will retain his position.

“It’s easy to speculate that APC may lose its majority in the National Assembly with members likely to follow top names in the resurrected New PDP, like the Senate President, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Tambuwal out of the party”, the source speculated.

As it is, members of the now enlivened ‘New PDP’, who have already met with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo  are insisting on meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

 Osinbajo meets with New PDP members including Saraki and Dogara 

Some of the prominent members of the ‘New PDP’ include,  Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Admiral Murtala Nyako (Retd), Sen. Mohammad Adamu Aliero, Sen. Danjuma Goje, Sen. John Owan Enoh, Sen.Andy Uba, Sen. Dr. Ibrahim Gobir, Sen. Rufai Ibrahim, Sen. Ibrahim A. Danbaba, Sen. Suleman Nazif, Sen. Isa Hamma Misau, Sen. Muhammed Ubali Shitu, Sen. Shehu Sani, Sen. Dino Melaye, Sen. Suleiman O. Hunkuyi, Sen. Shaaba Lafiagi, Sen. Bala Ibn Na’Allah, Sen. David Umaru, Sen. Barnabas Gemade, Alh. Abubakar K. Baraje, Chairman Former nPDP, Rep. Aminu S. Shagari, Rep. Kabiru Marafa Achida, Rt. Hon. Isa M. Ashiru, Hon. Muh’d Musa Soba, Hon. Mark Gbillah, Rep. Sani Mohd Rano, Rep. Garba Umar Durbunde, Rep. Aliyu Madaki, Rep. Zakari Mohammed, Hon. Rufai Ahmed Chachangi, Hon. Razak Atunwa, Hon. Emmanuel M. Udende, Hon. Hassan Saleh, Hon. Nasiru Garo Sule, Hon. Orker Jev, Hon. Aliyu Ahman Pategi, Hon. Isah Halilu B., Hon. Rabiu Garba Kaugama, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, Hon. Ismaila A. Gadaka, Hon. Lado Suleja, Hon. Dickson Tarkighir, Hon. Babatunde Kolawole, Hon. Dr. Bode Ayorinde, Hon. U. Danjuma Shida, Hon. Danburam Nuhu, Hon. Sunday Adepoju, Hon. Sani Zorro, Hon. Ahmed Garba Bichi and Hon. Garba Ibrahim Mohammed.