The introduction of Senator Dino Melaye is not needed in Nigerian current political dispensation; My reservation about his leadership style cannot undermine some of his personality traits that have brought him into political limelight.

I have led a protest to the House of Representatives and to the PDP national secretariat calling for his reinstatement back into the green chamber during his suspension as a member of the House of Representatives in the year 2010.

I have also, in July last year 2016, led a protest to the National Assembly calling for his recall and suspension over his consistent unparliamentarily, extravagant and indecorum style of leadership.

As against any negative traits anyone may use to describe Melaye; he is goal-getter, a facilitator, a daring man with lion heart to grab lion share.

A first timer in the House of Rep and secured a chairmanship seat of a committee unlike his successor who struggled profusely and was eventually helped to get a deputy chairmanship of House Committee on ICT.

As a member of House of Reps between 2007 and 2011, he influenced over fifty federal appointments/jobs for members of his constituency.

A man that discarded the rotational arrangement and contested second term party ticket but lost very narrowly.(Although those who perpetrated the defeat during that primary election will never forget in a hurry the strength Melaye carries).
He jumped into an unpopular party (ANPP) and almost won the general election back into the House of Representatives in 2011.

He became very popular as a registered national protester and anti-corruption crusader (even though he never filed any case in court) More popular, as his daring and outspoken nature fetched him the MC of events and presidential campaign rallies of the then newly merged party (APC) until he lost it to his then ceremonial colleague Abike Dabiri as a result of his unguarded and inciting statements against the then sitting president Goodluck Jonathan and for unnecessarily heating up the polity and the already charged political atmosphere.

On this wave of popularity and audacity, he defeated his political wife (sister Smart Adeyemi ) who meaninglessly and wastefully occupied the senatorial seat for 8 years !

Melaye remains the only senator in Kogi state who retains his seat at the senate while the two other APC senators lost their seats to the PDP, through a court judgement, even though they were challenged on the same irregularities in their primary elections.

How he scaled through this legal tussle still remains a mystery to his political adversaries! He is the chairman senate committee on FCT; the “juicy” committee that was also chaired by his political wife and predecessor (sister Smart Adeyemi.)

Whether these attributes and dispositions are geared towards general achievement for the people or for self achievement is a narrative for another day.

I however, have my disagreement with him on many issues which most of his distant followers never envisaged; I can never support my senator escorting the wife of his colleague to EFFC and even opened the car door for the wife of a fellow senator! While he physically, threatened and harassed a female colleague whose husband is the national leader of his party!

I will not be pleased with a senator who rides in fleet of multi million naira bullet proofs while he passes by schools without roof in his own village.
I don’t have any problem if my senator writes a book, but I still have my reservation for the intellectual credibility of the book.

When Melaye speaks you will like him but when he acts, you will do otherwise. But he is ever on top of his game ! Besides these few personal misgivings,childish social display, Melaye remains a daring political achiever, a courageous leader and a mentor for any emerging young political leader!

credit:Conscious Richard Otitoleke