Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye has emerged candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming 11 November Governorship election in Kogi State.
In a Congress held at Kefas Multipurpose Hall, Lokoja, on Sunday, 16 April, Melaiye pulled over fifty per cent of the votes cast.
Former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi who conducted the poll said Melaye scored 313 votes to beat his closest rival Ilona Idoko Idris who had 124 votes.
The atmosphere was tension soaked with earlier protests over the delegates list. The process however went on smoothly, under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Hon Kabiru Usman garnered 121 votes while former Deputy Governor, Awoniyi scored 77 votes and the PDP governorship candidate in 2019 Engr Musa Wada had a total of 56 votes, Ojaja Gideon had 5 votes, while Bolufemi Rotimi scored 2 votes.
There are factors which may make or mar Melaye’s chances in the coming elections.
First is the minority nature of the Okun Yoruba in the state, with Igala in the majority, followed by the Ebira where Governor Yahaya Bello belongs. The Ebira and Igala have a great number of voters.
Another factor is that Bello may use state power to sway the electorate to vote for APC, despite that not all the citizens are satisfied with his eight-year tenure.
Apart from the tempestuous nature of Melaye himself, not a few may wave him off as an unserious character who would wax songs, even at his folly in government!
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Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye has emerged candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming 11 November Governorship election in Kogi State.
In a Congress held at Kefas Multipurpose Hall, Lokoja, on Sunday, 16 April, Melaiye pulled over fifty per cent of the votes cast.
Former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi who conducted the poll said Melaye scored 313 votes to beat his closest rival Ilona Idoko Idris who had 124 votes.
The atmosphere was tension soaked with earlier protests over the delegates list. The process however went on smoothly, under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Hon Kabiru Usman garnered 121 votes while former Deputy Governor, Awoniyi scored 77 votes and the PDP governorship candidate in 2019 Engr Musa Wada had a total of 56 votes, Ojaja Gideon had 5 votes, while Bolufemi Rotimi scored 2 votes.
There are factors which may make or mar Melaye’s chances in the coming elections.
First is the minority nature of the Okun Yoruba in the state, with Igala in the majority, followed by the Ebira where Governor Yahaya Bello belongs. The Ebira and Igala have a great number of voters.
Another factor is that Bello may use state power to sway the electorate to vote for APC, despite that not all the citizens are satisfied with his eight-year tenure.
Apart from the tempestuous nature of Melaye himself, not a few may wave him off as an unserious character who would wax songs, even at his folly in government!
Here is how Bamidele Johnson, a journalist and political analyst, in a short post, Yahaya Bello vs Dino Melaye, painted the events of Kogi.
“That’s the Kogi gubernatorial election match-up, not Dino vs the mannequin produced by the Bello-modulated APC primaries. It’s a marquee match-up and one from which sparks will fly in commercial quantities.
Between Dino and Bello, there’s enough bad blood to float an ocean vessel. Aside from just being on opposite political benches, thick residues remain of the animus from the failed bid to recall Dino from NASS.
Of course, Bello’s main goal is an insurance policy against possible humiliation in the hands of an enemy, particularly one as voluble as Dino. The APC candidate who, technically is Dino’s opponent, will be an extra in his own movie. Defo.
All eyes will be on the two co-stars. Dino, an attention addict, will be a social media content machine, producing diss track after diss track in infantile videos. Bello is no media darling and is given to less drama.
His main qualities are single-mindedness and premium-grade nastiness. He’s the kind of guy who’d think nothing of ordering old women’s kneecaps removed with a chisel if necessary. If Dino attempts a repeat of the clownery of being on a tree for hours, Bello can order a wildfire. He is a guy who can’t be bothered to be nice to God if he doesn’t feel like it; a Putin regen.
It’s going to be a blockbuster; a real firecracker duel. It’s a clash of the mad and stubborn; pure edge-of-the-seat stuff. We’ll be watching.”