By TINA TIMOTHY

A member of the legal team of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Barrister Bashir Maidugu, has slammed the Spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Management Committee, Dino Melaye, and the PDP, accusing them of indecent behaviour.

Maidugu, in a statement issued on Friday, November 4, 2022, in Abuja, described Melaye as “a defeated politician, defeated and disgraced in every aspect of politics, defeated into irrelevance and oblivion,” “currently unemployed” and not “employable, except by someone like the PDP Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, who, according to Maidugu, “involved in so many controversies, and clearly failed as a Vice President.”

He stated: “On PDP's behaviour as an opposition party, we don't expect them to pour accolades on our great candidates. We are actually expecting the worst reaction from them in the history of Nigerian politics.

“This is informed by the acute phobia of defeat. They are deeply divided, fragmented, frustrated, desperate and therefore can vituperate libelous content. But we won't dignify them with any civil suit.

“Dino Melaye is a defeated politician, defeated and disgraced in every aspect of politics, defeated into irrelevance and oblivion. He is also currently unemployed and I am truly not sure if he is employable at all, except by someone like Atiku Abubakar, who has himself not improved on his education despite serving as a Douane for 30 years becoming extremely wealthy. An ex-officer of a revenue generating agency under the Federal Ministry of Finance....involved in so many controversies with his boss who has expressed regret picking him as his running in the first place. He has clearly failed as a Vice President, now re-emerging from his cocoon in Dubai to once again play on our sensibilities and sentiments. No wonder Nyesom Wike discovered his antics early enough.”

The Legal cum Development Expert, enumerated Melaye’s several acts of indecency, adding that he was a huge embarrassment and disgrace. He therefore urged Nigerians to abhor the shameful behaviors of the PDP and leave them now.

Continuing, he said: “In his infamous years in the Senate, Dino was known to have climbed a tree for hours in an attempt to run away from justice. He dramatised a simple arrest by a law enforcement officer in a live video, absolutely devoid of manners, behaved like a thug in our hallowed legislative chambers, with his horrible voice, he dished out obscene videos to the public, especially our youths on social media, physically assaulted ladies, glamorised corruption in his attitude to the code of conduct tribunal....totally disgracing himself and his constituency. With his utterances yesterday, Dino Melaye is not only unfit for any public or even private office, he has exhibited that he is still a huge embarrassment and a disgrace to his family and Nigerians. I am personally offended as citizen of Borno.

“However, the beautiful development is that Nigerians know these political tourists, rogues and fraudsters too well and can never entrust the destiny of our nation and the national treasury to them. They don't depict our cherished values....in any way. I advise those who abhor their shameful behaviours to leave them while there's enough time. PDP will be a very small party after the 2023 elections.”

Meanwhile, Maidugu referred to the Presidential flagbearer of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, as “politicians with clear positive records,” “achievers in their own states and in their own rights.” He outlined several achievements of the former Borno state governor and asked “what are the legacies of Atiku Abubakar and Dino Melaye?”

“Nigerians also know our revered candidates, as politicians with clear positive records.... Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima. The legacy in Lagos still liveth. While as Governor of Borno State,Shettima, despite the huge challenges of the Boko Haram terrorists and the disadvantage of a hostile Federal Government was able to inspire our youths to challenge and chase out the terrorists from our cities. Even as a traumatised Chief Executive, he succeeded in ensuring that Borno can be rebuilt despite the damage by the nihilists and the neglect by the PDP-led Federal Government. A treasonable behaviour from the Jonathan regime as Borno was abandoned to the insurgents.

“In his second term as Governor and with the advent of a friendlier APC-led Federal Government in 2015, realising the challenges that faced him, he activated the reconstruction mode and formed a highly dynamic cabinet, created the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and appointed our current workaholic Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum to oversee it.Shettima introduced dozens of the now famous Mega Schools, acquired over a thousand Tractors and thousands of other Agricultural equipment, including water pumping machines, pivot irrigation systems, trained hundreds of Borno citizens abroad in agriculture, medicine and other relevant reconstruction disciplines.

“These are the Kashim Shettima legacies in Borno. Professor Babagana Umara Zulum is the cap. What are the legacies of Atiku Abubakar and Dino Melaye?

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima are both achievers in their own states and in their own rights. Great thinkers. They converged in the All Progressives Congress Presidential Ticket not by design but by sheer accident of history. Nigerians have a wonderful opportunity to elect them in February 2023,” he added.