Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
It has been confirmed that ahead of November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, the senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, is interested in contesting for the office of governor on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party.
According to the media aide to Senator Melaye, Gideon Ayodele, Melaye made his intention known on Saturday at the residence of a PDP stalwart, Gen David Jemibewon, in Iyah-Gbedde in Ijumu Local Government Area of the state during a stakeholders’ meeting.
It was learnt that the meeting was called for by top shots of the Kogi West PDP to know those who were interested in the governorship election since aspirants from the rest two senatorial districts in the state had already signified their intentions.
The meeting was said to have given two a week-notice to those from the zone who wanted to contest from the governorship seat so as to begin an intensive lobby and campaign for such aspirants.
Melaye was said to have stood up immediately to announce his ambition to contest for the governorship seat and urged the people to give him the needed cooperation to succeed.
According to his media aide, Melaye was said to have disclosed at the meeting that he was the most qualified candidate for the governorship seat having served at the lower chamber of the National Assembly and currently serving his second term as a senator and a politician with a large following in the state and urged the party to give him their support.
It was gathered that Melaye is to slug it out with dozens of aspirants in the party at the primaries slated for August.
It would be recalled that Melaye had a running battle with Governor Yahaya Bello, a situation that made him to defect to the PDP where he became a consensus candidate in the last election. He defeated two-term senator, Smart Adeyemi of the APC.