Dino Melaye Loses PDP Kogi Senatorial Ticket

The serving House of Representative member representing Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, Tajudeen Yusuf, on Tuesday, defeated Dino Melaye, in the re-run election to pick the Kogi West Senatorial ticket of the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election, held on Monday, ended in deadlock as both aspirants scored 88 votes respectively.

However, during the runoff election on Tuesday, Yusuf scored 163 votes while Melaye scored 99 votes, dashing the latter’s dream of returning to the Senate in the 10th National Assembly.

Stephen Onoji, who was the Returning Officer. announced the result on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists shortly after he was announced the winner, Mr Yusuf extended the olive branch to his co-contestants and urged them to join hands with him to win the general election.

He commended the peaceful conduct of the primaries and promised to continue with his good work if elected at the general election.

In his remarks, Melaye congratulated Yusuf on his victory in the rerun election, saying the primary had been fought and won.

”The primary has been fought and won. I congratulate Hon. Yusuf and thank all those who voted on the first and second ballot for me.

”The gang-up is unimaginable but l give God praise. God bless you all,” Melaye said.

NAN reports that Melaye, who represented the district as a senator from 2015 to 2019, was defeated by the incumbent, Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a re-run senatorial election in 2019.

Adeyemi, who hails from the same Ijumu Local Government Area as Melaye, is a three-term senator in the National Assembly.

Adeyemi represented the zone from 2007 to 2015 under the platform of the PDP but was defeated by Melaye in 2015. He later defected to APC before he (Adeyemi) clinched the seat again in 2019 after a rerun election ordered by the court.

In Kogi East, Victor Adoji, won the PDP senatorial seat with a total of 177 votes, defeating Aminu Suleiman who scored 54 votes. Ubolo Okpanachi scored 42 votes while Isaac Mohammed Alfa scored 20 votes.

The senatorial primary in Kogi central was yet to be concluded as of the time of filing this report.

In the same vein, Shaba Ibrahim, also picked Lokoja/Kogi Federal House of Representatives PDP ticket.

In the state House of Assembly primaries in Kogi central, Ovurevu Abara emerged in Adavi; Mohammed Haruna Ganaja, in Ajaokuta; while Ajanaku Tijani Umar emerged in Okene II State Constituency.

A former publicity secretary of the Kogi PDP, Bode Ogunmola, picked the ticket for Ogori-Magongo, while Onivehu Musa Siyaka emerged in Okehi for state assembly respectively.

(NAN)