Despite spirited efforts by the camp of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to clinch the Kogi governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, former Senator of Kogi West, Dino Melaye emerged victorious on Sunday.
Wike had warned the PDP not to allow Melaye emerge a few days to the governorship primary that was held on Saturday owing to their political differences.
Wike had failed to win the PDP presidential primary won by Atiku Abubakar who’s Melaye’s political godfather.
Atiku appointed the former senator one of his spokesmen.
Serving in that capacity for the 2023 presidential election, Melaye squared up against Wike whose opposition to Atiku’s candidature was partly blamed on the former Vice President ‘s defeat in February.
The Rivers State governor had derided Melaye on many occasions prior to the presidential election and renewed his attack on him in the lead up to Saturday’s primary, the latest being last week’s attack on him.
He had said, “When you give Dino that ticket you know he won’t win in Kogi state.
“You’re talking about governance of a state, we are not talking about drama.
“Dino does not have what it takes. What is he going to do? Why would Kogi people say they will vote for Dino? Are we joking,” Wike had asked in a statewide television interview with some selected journalists in Rivers State, Port Harcourt.
But Melaye, fired back saying, “Nigerians should not be fooled. That integrity and equity that he (Wike) is always clamouring, he does not possess one percent of it.
“He will tell you he wants a southern presidency, that is why he is fighting but that is a bogus lie,” Melaye said.
“Wike wanted to be vice-presidential candidate to Atiku. He (Wike) called me 19 times in two hours when Atiku was going to mention his vice-presidential candidate, lobbying me with everything possible to influence Atiku to announce him as his running mate. I have witnesses,” Melaye alleged.
Although the Rivers State Governor succeeded in denying Melaye the Kogi West Senatorial ticket in May 2022 during the primary, on Saturday he was announced as securing 313 votes to emerge winner of the primary.
He defeated Idoko Ilonah, who was propped up in the last minutes by Wike and his camp.
Ilonah scored 124 votes.
The chairman of the electoral committee, Ahmed Makarfi, who’s a former governor of Kaduna State made the announcement on Sunday.
Melaye will face Ahmed Ododo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the election billed to take place on November 11.
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