Dino Melaye Rejects Kogi PDP Guber Primary Results

• Says it’s ‘totally unacceptable’

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Controversial Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial district in the 9th National Assembly, Dino Melaye has described as ‘totally unacceptable’ results of the just-concluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Kogi state.

Registering his displeasure over the outcome of the contest that saw him coming a distant fourth in the race for the Party gubernatorial ticket, Senator said the exercise did not only lack credibility but was clearly skewed and manipulated against his interest.

Taking to his Twitter page to express dissatisfaction with the conduct and the outcome of the exercise, the lawmaker said: “It is ridiculous to declare a final result of PDP Governorship primary election in Kogi State when my votes sorted out yesterday in 8 out of 10 ballot boxes are missing.”

According to the Kogi West Senator, to declare votes in only two (2) out of 10 ballot boxes as the votes he recorded during the exercise is “totally unacceptable.”

Though Senator Melaye did not openly declare his next line of action on the matter, close aides hinted that he is already  planning to lodge a formal protest against the exercise with the National Secretariat and Appeal Committee of the Party.

The Election panel led by  Governor Umar Fintiri of Adamawa State had declared Engineer Musa Wada as the PDP’s flag bearer for the November 16 governorship election in the State.

In announcing the results of the exercise, disrupted in the early hours of Wednesday due to gunmen’s sudden invasion of the Lokoja Confluence Stadium venue, the Panel said Musa Wada scored 748 votes to clinch the party ticket.

Musa is a younger brother of the immediate past Governor, Captain Idris Wada, who was also in the race for the sole gubernatorial ticket

Closely following in second place was Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim, son of a former governor, Ibrahim Idris (Ibro), who garnered 710 votes while the immediate past Governor, Capt. Wada, came third with 345 votes.

With 70 votes to his name, Senator Dino Melaye came fourth in the race followed by Aminu Suleiman – 55 votes; Victor Adoji – 54; Erico Joseph – 42; and AVM Saliu Atawodi (rtd) – 11.

Others on the score sheet include Emmanuel Omebije – 9 votes; Mohammed Shuaibi – 4 votes; Bayo Michael – 2 votes; and Jabiru Haruna who recorded no vote.