Senator Dino Melaye has emerged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State.
The party primary election held at Kafa’s Hall event centre in Lokoja amid tight security.
According to Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the chairman of the PDP primary election committee who announced the results, Senator Melaye got 313 votes to clinch the ticket.
Also, he disclosed that Ilona Idoko. Kingsley scored 124 votes; Usman Mohammed Kabiru got 121 votes and Abayomi Sunday Awoniyi, a former. Deputy governor, pulled 77 votes.
Engineer Wada Musa secured 56 votes; Ojaja Gideon Enama got 5 votes and Olufemi Olarewaju scored 2 votes.
Senator Markarfi declared that six votes were recorded void.
Our correspondent learnt further that one Abdullahi Haruna (SAN) withdrew from the race before voting commenced.
The former lawmaker will be up against Usman Ododo, the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the election.
A few days to the primaries, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers had branded Melaye a joker, saying the PDP would be embarking on a fruitless mission by handing its ticket to the former federal lawmaker.
Wike, who spoke on a live television programme, said Melaye lacked the capacity to govern.
“And of course you have seen what is going on, how lists have been changed to favour a particular candidate who, as far as I’m concerned, is dead on arrival. There is no way, if what they are planning happens in Kogi State where they are giving opportunity to Dino Melaye, this is what I tell people, you have started to fail first.”
“When you give Dino that ticket, you know you won’t win in Kogi State. Why will Kogi people say they will vote for a candidate like Dino? Are we joking? The mere fact that you are from Kogi, therefore any Kogi person?
“We are talking about governance of a state and we are not talking about drama. For Christ’s sake, PDP presents such a candidate and you mean that Kogi people want development? Dino doesn’t have what it takes for Christ’s sake. What is he going to do? He knows it very well. He does not have what it takes to be a governor at all.”
But Melaye had fired back at Wike, saying he knew how to tame lions.
Melaye contested the PDP primary in Kogi West Senatorial district last year but lost to Tajudeen Yusuf, lawmaker currently representing Kabba/Bunu Ijumu constituency in the house of representatives.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar later appointed him spokesman of his presidential campaign.
Melaye has served in both chambers of the National Assembly.
