The Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari must visit his hospital in London again because of his remarks on ballot box snatching.
During the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus emergency meeting on Monday, President Buhari had said that anyone who disrupts the forthcoming general elections by snatching ballot could pay with their lives. He said:
”Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, maybe that would be the last unlawful action you would take. I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless.
”I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life.”
Dino Melaye, who made an appearance on Channels Television on Tuesday evening, was reacting to President Buhari’s statement. He said:
“That statement from Mr. President is a serious confirmation that Mr. President has to visit London again, because it is not expected from any rationally thinking, intellectually mobile leader.”
When reprimanded by the host Seun Okin, Melaye insisted “I am not being insolent at all”.
Watch the video below:
Dino Melaye just said live on @channelstv that our very own President Buhari needs to visit London again. Probably for medical checkup in the brain after the threat to ballot box snatchers yesterday.I’m crying😭😭🤣🤣 #TheVerdict #2019Elections #DinoMelayeVsFestusKeyamo #ApcVsPdp pic.twitter.com/NDUct4x2EZ
— ReiL Corey ✝️ (@iamReil_C) February 19, 2019
Dino Melaye also accused Buhari of failing to speak with utmost decorum and respect to the rule of law. He called on the president to apologize to Nigerians and retract his statement ordering the military to deal with ballot box snatchers.
According to him, Buhari speaks with ‘the anointing of Idi-Amin’ under a democracy. Melaye said:
“I am utterly disappointed in my president. I am completely in shock that in a democratic setting, a president will speak with the anointing if Idi Amin of Uganda, the president will use the word ‘ruthless’, the president will order killings of Nigerians without going through legal procedures. That is totally unacceptable.
“I expected that by now the President should have apologized to Nigerians and withdraw that statement but instead there has been a lot of efforts, boxing the wind by Chieftains of the APC, trying to defend what is not defendable.”