Dino Melaye joins Kogi gubernatorial race

Nigerian senator representing Kogi west, Dino Melaye has confirmed that he is interested in the November 16 governorship election in Kogi state, TOPNAIJA.NG can confirm.

One of Melaye’s allies had earlier revealed that the lawmaker declared his gubernatorial ambition at a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) meeting in Aiyetoro Gbede, his hometown in Kabba local government area of the state.

“He (Melaye) has met with PDP leaders in Aiyetoro Gbede and informed them of his decision to run for governor. He will still make a formal declaration,” the source, who did not want to be named, had said.

Attempts to reach Melaye on Saturday evening did not yield the desired result as his telephone line was out of reach.

But hours after the report was published, Melaye posted a cryptic message on Twitter and also retweeted a story on his governorship bid.

“Kogites!! Here am I, send me,” he tweeted.

Kogites!! here am I send me… https://t.co/NXyrOlyx5q

— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@dino_melaye) June 1, 2019

To achieve his aim of being governor, Melaye will have to beat Abubakar Idris, son of a former governor of Kogi, and other contenders for the ticket of the opposition party.

Even if he picks the ticket the PDP, Melaye still has a tough nut to crack in Yahaya Bello, incumbent governor of the state, who is seeking a second term.

Melaye, who anchored the inauguration ceremony of Bello in 2015, fell apart with the governor shortly after the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over Kogi.

When the disagreement with Bello reached its height, the lawmaker defected to the PDP from APC. He has accused the governor of being behind his travails with the police.

In March, he was arraigned before a court for the 12th time since 2018 when he was first charged with lying about a plot to assassinate him.

The lawmaker had defeated Smart Adeyemi of the APC to retain his senatorial seat. Ironically, Melaye, who was elected into the senate under the platform of the APC in 2015, had defeated Adeyemi, then a sitting senator and a member of the PDP.