Melaye to Obasanjo: You introduced corruption into National Assembly

Senator Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West) has told Nigerians not to take former President Olusegun Obasanjo serious in his letter to the National Assembly, asking the lawmakers to show a good example by being prudent with national resources.
To Melaye, if anybody should be accused of introducing corruption into the National Assembly, Obasanjo is a major culprit.
He cited two examples: the attempted bribe of N50 million for each senator during the third term controversy in 2006 and the plot to impeach former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, in 2001 when some House of Representatives members were bribed with cash and the money displayed on the floor of the Lower Chamber.
Obasanjo, on Tuesday, had written a letter to Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, accusing the 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members of insincerity for the planned purchase of 469 cars worth N4.7 billion.
Melaye, in a counter attack on Thursday, said Obasanjo should stop preaching about corruption.
He said: “I have tremendous respect for President Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo. Elder statesman, respected pan Africanist and committed patriot. I went through the letter written to all senators and members of the House of Representatives. The letter, I can see, is a misplacement of anger.
“Our leader is mistaking the Eighth National Assembly as the same Senate Assembly that defrauded him in 2007. Those who collected his money and refused to implement the 3rd term agenda. I appeal to Baba that we are not the ones please. After nine years of that bribery saga, the first of its kind, I expect forgiveness to have taken place.
“There was the case of bribery introduced by the Obasanjo regime in the desperate attempt to remove Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba from office then. In fact, there was open display of that bribery money on the floor of the House. That government exposed the National Assembly to corruption and easy money.
“I hope this is not in an attempt to cover up and distract attention from the Halliburton and Siemens corruption allegations. While I am against corruption anywhere in Nigeria, I will not support accusations based on anger and vindictiveness.
“The Eighth Senate should also look inwardly and purge herself of all the deliberate misgivings of the past. Nigeria must work and we must support the anti-corruption stand of the Buhari administration. God bless Nigeria.”