Dino Melaye not suspended, says PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chapter in Ijumu Local Government has dismissed the letter suspending Senator Dino Melaye as a forgery.

In a communiqué issued on Friday, Hon. Olorunmaiye Olabode, the PDP Chairman in Ijumu, called the suspension “ridiculous” and noted discrepancies in the letter, such as mismatched dates.

The communiqué read as follows: “We stand firmly with the party, the Constitution thereof, and the Guidelines & Regulations that are issued from time to time. We stand by the fact that no materials were brought to Ijumu LGA to carry out the Ward Ad hoc Congress on the 27th of July, 2024.

“We stand by the truth that no LGA Congress was held in Ijumu LGA at any time to elect a National Delegate. We did not participate in the purported State Congress, which was illegally held in Lokoja on the 31st of August, 2024, knowing that it was a failed kangaroo arrangement.

“We are aware of a communiqué in circulation which was concocted by external enemies of the party from outside Ijumu, who are forces of destabilization and who want to remove our leader, the leader of the party in the state, His Excellency, Senator Dino Melaye, who is the voice of the voiceless, so they can ride roughshod over loyal party members in Kogi State.

“We categorically and unequivocally state that the said purported letter of expulsion is a forgery and cannot stand. It is so ridiculously and hurriedly written that the day and date do not tally.

“We also state that such a correspondence, which is meant to expel an important member of the Party like Senator Dino Melaye, cannot be handled in this criminal manner. No PDP member in Kogi has done what our leader has done nationally for the PDP.

“We challenge these traducers to mention any anti-party activities of Senator Dino Melaye. The man who still pays for the accommodation of the Party at the state headquarters, paid salaries of staff, bought 10,000 copies of membership cards just last month and distributed them among party members and new joiners, and gave 2 million naira to the party just last month as running costs.

“We, therefore, state for the record that it is a breach of the Party’s Constitution not to follow due process in the haste to execute this malicious and mischievous plan. We urge all members of the party in Ijumu and the state as a whole to disregard the purported dismissal or expulsion of our staunch, loyal, committed, and unflinching state leader, who abhors anti-party activities in all ramifications and for which reason he is being vilified by agents of destruction.”

News360 Nigeria recalls that the Ward Party Executive Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ayetoro/Iluagba Ward 1 announced the suspension of Dino Melaye on Friday over allegations of engaging in anti-party activities.

News360 Nigeria gathered that Melaye is from Ayetoro/Iluagba Ward 1 in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Melaye’s suspension was contained in a statement jointly signed by the PDP Ward Chairman, Mr Abayomi Osamika, and the Secretary, Mr Yodson Dayo, and made available to journalists in Lokoja.