The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kogi State, Senator Dino Melaye, has alleged that some unnamed political enemies met to decide “he must become a distant third” in last Saturday’s governorship election.
Melaye spoke on Monday during a Channels TV interview, adding that there was over-voting in 17 of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in Kogi State.
“A meeting was held and they said, ‘Dino Melaye must not come second because if he comes second, it’s dangerous. So, he must become a distant third.’ There was no election; there was only allocation of votes,” he alleged.
“Normally, Ajaka should not be excited that he won one, two, or three local governments in the East. It was allocated. Lagos (in 2023 general elections) was given to Labour. Labour should not think they won in Lagos; it was deliberate. The mathematics was done. The arithmetic was done,” he added.
In Melaye’s view, this was the “exact same formula that was used in Kogi State”.
Melaye called for the cancellation of the election, while describing the conduct of the poll as “shameful.” He had said the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should not have allowed it to stand.
During a press conference in Lokoja on Sunday, Melaye had said, “It is shameful that the unhealthy INEC refuse to realise, ameliorate or palliate the problems they created in the last presidential and governorship elections.”
Similarly, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the election, Muritala Ajaka had faulted INEC over the conduct of the poll.
Ajaka insisted that the results of the election were written before the election began.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s returning officer, Prof. Johnson Urame, he said that the candidate of the APC, Ahmed Ododo, got 446,237 votes.
The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alh. Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, who came second in the exercise, had a total of 259, 052 votes.
The candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Dino Melaye came third with a total 46,362 votes.
Urame who declared Ododo as the winner said, “Ahmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress having satisfied the mandate of the law is declared the winner of Kogi State governorship election and returned elected.”
