Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye, has hurled insult at Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo over the lawyer’s scathing remark on the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Keyamo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is the spokesman of the Presidential Candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a role Melaye also plays for Atiku.
The minister in an interview with Channels Television said Atiku has never had experience of being in charge of any administration, allegedly unlike Tinubu and Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, who both have been governors of Lagos and Anambra states respectively.
“Ahead of him (Mr Atiku) in terms of capacity to make decisions. So how are we going to hand the country to somebody who has never held a position—who has never shown capacity where he makes the final call. Atiku Abubakar is not tested, he is not trusted. He has never held such a position, even Obi is ahead of him.”
“The major rival we have today has never held an executive position where he makes the final call in government. So, we cannot second guess—Atiku Abubakar has never held an executive position where he made the final call; he was the vice president, he was not the chief executive, he was never governor, he was never anything. Even Peter Obi is ahead of Atiku Abubakar,” Keyamo said.
Malaye, who represented Kogi West at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly during the 8th Senate, hit back at the Minister alongside his principal in a video of him he shared on his Facebook page.
His word, “Atiku Abubakar is running for the presidency for the second or third time and he understands this route better than the political virgin, Tinubu, that you (Keyamo) are supporting who is running for the presidency for the first time and sees it as his life entitlement and retirement benefits for supporting Buhari.
“Atiku has rich credentials and he is not running because of entitlements. He is not running because of his support for any party. He is running because he’s got the credentials and he is a team player. He is a talent hunter and leader per excellence. ”
Furthermore, Melaye describes Keyamo’s comment on Atiku during the interview as “shameful, very embarrassing and a disgrace”.
“Keyamo’s inactive ministerial sojourn is affecting him. Because if he has succeeded as a minister he won’t be talking the way he is talking. Many Nigerians will tell you today they don’t know the ministry where Keyamo is working because he is redundant, inactive and invisible and he has been completely consumed by the aura of Ngige, the superior minister.
“Because Keyamo is a commercialised conscience and he has monetised his life that is why he will not understand that the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has some ministries, agencies and government parastatals under his direct supervision.
“What he has done is that he has disrespected the office of the vice president of Nigeria as a lawyer who understands the constitutionality, enormous responsibilities of that office.”
