Senator Dino Melaye has denied being part of the lawmakers that booed
President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2019 budget presentation before a
joint session of the National Assembly on December 19, 2018.
Melaye,
who represents Kogi West Senatorial District on the platform of Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), said he was absent at the House of
Representatives chamber, venue of the budget presentation on that day,
let alone partake in jeering the president.
Daily Trust recalls
that some lawmakers, mainly of the opposition PDP, jeered the president
during the budget presentation. But they were countered by their All
Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts, who cheered the president.
Apparently
disturbed by the development, Buhari had to pause to caution the
lawmakers, saying “May I remind Honourable members that the world is
watching us, and we should be above this.”
Since the incident, there have been reports in the social media that the booing was led by the Kogi senator.
But
Melaye, in his first reaction to the social media reports, said in a
statement by his media aide, Gideon Ayodele, on Saturday evening that
those that kept calling his name on the incident lied against him.
Our
correspondent reports that Melaye’s denial came 24 hours after he
surrendered himself to the police following one week siege on his
Maitama residence over an alleged case of culpable homicide, an
allegation he denied.
“The attention of Senator Dino Melaye
has been drawn to a malicious reference to his person on the social
media as one of the lawmakers who booed President Muhammadu Buhari
during his 2019 Budget presentation before a joint session of the
National Assembly on Wednesday, December 19, 2018.
“Before now,
he had refused to refute the mischievious social media fabrication for
what it is – a cheap lie – Senator Dino Melaye was not in the National
Assembly that day.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Distinguished
Senator Dino Melaye was absent at the televised 2019 Budget Presentation
session and hereby challenges anyone with contrary proof to come
forward with such.
“By his nature, Distinguished Senator Dino
Melaye is not one who speaks and cannot defend his action at the same
time. Whatever he says or does, he stands by his actions no matter whose
ox is gored,” he said.
Source:- Dailytrustng
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