Despite open opposition to his aspiration by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Senator Dino Melaye, who represented the people of Kogi West Senatorial District on the floor of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has been declared winner of the Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary election.

Senator Melaye polled 313 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Idoko Ilonah, who got 124 votes in the Direct Mode primary election on Sunday in Lokoja.

The Chairman, PDP Primary Election Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, who announced the results, said that the primary was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.

Maikarfi said other contestants in the race included Mohammed Kabiru who scored 121 votes, while Abayomi Awoniyi-Sunday scored 77 as Wada Musa polled 56 votes.

According to him, other contestants were Ojaja Gideon-Enama with five votes and Olufemi Olarewaju who got two votes.

The Chairman also announced that six void votes were recorded.

“On behalf of the PDP primary election committee, I wish to congratulate Dino Melaye, the winner of the primary.

“I thank the state party leaders and members for their cooperation and support toward a peaceful primary election,” Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi said.

Meanwhile, the emergence of Senator Dino Melaye came against the expectations of the Governor of Rivers State, who vehemently stood against the aspiration of the former member of the House of Representatives and Senator.

Governor Wike had dismissed Senator Melaye’s governorship ambition, insisting that the two-time member of the National Assembly does not have what it takes to contest for such a position.

The governor who spoke during a media chat with selected journalists in Port Harcourt recently said, “When you give Dino that ticket, you know he won’t win in Kogi State.

“Why would Kogi people say they would vote for a candidate like Dino? Are we joking?”

He said the mere fact that someone is from a place does not equate to electoral success if such a person contests an election.

“Dino does not have what it takes for crying out loud,” Wike said, adding that, “He knows me very well. He does not have what it takes to be a governor.”

However, Senator Dino Melaye fired back at Governor Wike, revealing how the Rivers State Governor called him 19 times to persuade the presidential candidate of PDP in the February 25 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to nominate him (Wike) as the Vice-presidential candidate.

Digging further into his relationship with Governor Wike, Senator Dino Melaye noted that the Rivers State Governor saw something in him, hence his support for him when he ran for Governorship of Kogi State in 2019.

“When I ran for Governorship in 2019, Governor Wike was my biggest sponsor. He was my biggest supporter to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“He supported my primaries. He did not just support my primaries, he also provided his private jet to drop me in Kogi, on the day of my primaries.

“He was calling me every minute to find out if we have succeeded; meaning that Wike saw something in me in 2019 when he supported me.

“He knew I was a gubernatorial material, that I was fit to be a governor, hence his investment or support as the case may be.

“So what now happened between 2019 and 2023 is that you are now saying that I am not fit to be a governor.

“Somebody you have supported materially and otherwise.

“Suddenly because I refuse to participate in your myopic and intellectually stagnant presidential ambition, you now see me as one not fit for Governorship”, Senator Melaye had revealed.

On Governor Wike’s quest to bring presidency to the South, saying it was a lie, stating that the Rivers State governor’s plan was to be vice-president to Atiku.

“Wike called me called me Nineteen times in two hours when Atiku was going to mention his vice presidential candidate, lobbying me with everything possible to influence Atiku to mention him as the vice president”, Senator Melaye revealed.

StreetReporters.ng

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