Dino Melaye’s victory ‘fraudulent’, says aggrieved PDP guber aspirant

Mr Awoniyi insisted that “Senator Dino Melaye won a fraudulent primary.”

News Agency of Nigeria • April 18, 2023

Abayomi Awoniyi and Dino Melaye

Abayomi Awoniyi, one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Kogi governorship aspirants, says the party’s Sunday primary election is not credible and the victory of Dino Melaye fraudulent.

He said this in a statement on Monday in Lokoja, adding that the election was not free, fair or credible as it was marred by fraud.

Mr Melaye emerged as the PDP candidate for the November 11 governorship election.

Ahmed Makarfi, the chairman of the PDP primary election committee said Mr Melaye scored 313 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ilona Idoko-Kingsley who scored 124 votes at the primary.

But Mr Awoniyi, a former Kogi deputy governor, said the election was not credible.

”This has led to the PDP in Kogi State, fluffing a great opportunity of winning back the state from the ruling party,” he said.

Mr Awoniyi said the delegates’ list was manipulated, with authentic delegates’ names from Yagba West, Kabba-Bunu and Ijumu council areas replaced.

”Without an iota of doubt, I make bold to say Melaye’s victory is a pyrrhic one. This victory portends great danger to the unity of our party and the prospect of winning the Nov. 11 governorship election. The reason for this assertion is simple. The primary that threw up Melaye was flawed,” claimed the former deputy governor.

He added, ”About 158 delegates who emerged from the state ad hoc congress of March 29, were replaced by the Senator Abdul Ningi congress committee working in concert with Melaye’s enablers within the party hierarchy at the highest level. To gift any aspirant, a total of 158 votes in a contest for 739 votes involving eight aspirants is not a fair contest. It is fraudulent, duplicitous, sinful, and unwholesome because it confers undue advantage on the favoured aspirant.”

Mr Awoniyi insisted that “Senator Dino Melaye won a fraudulent primary,” stressing, ”What we have today in Kogi, is discontent within the PDP rank and file, and some measure of elation within the other political party.”

The disgruntled aspirant further stated, ”This pyrrhic victory may look like a fait accompli, but the dust is unlikely to settle even beyond the November 11 governorship election.”

(NAN)

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