Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
MAVERICK and former Senator representing Kogi West in the Nigeria’s National Assembly, Dino Melaye, has clinched the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the Kogi State Governorship Election scheduled for November 11, 2023.
Dino polled 313 votes to defeat his closest rival, Jabiru Usman who polled 127 votes.
The chairman, PDP primary Election Committee, Ahmed Makarfi, announced the results on Sunday at the end of the indirect primary held in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
A former Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, scored 77 votes and the PDP governorship candidate in 2019, Musa Wada, had a total of 56 votes.
Dino will contest the November 11, 2023 poll alongside a former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, who is the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
The incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello, had last week, endorsed Ododo.
Melaye recently fired back at Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State who had laughed off his aspiration to succeed Governor Yahaya Bello and also alleged that the PDP hierarchy was planning to return Dino as the party’s candidate.