Kogi governorship election: Melaye declines appointment as PDP campaign DG

Senator Dino Melaye has turned down his appointment by the Kogi State campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 16 governorship poll.

Stakeholders in the state’s chapter had during a visit to the Abuja secretariat of the party yesterday touted Melaye as the Director General of the party’s campaign council.

But in a swift reaction, the senator, who did not accompany the stakeholders on the visit, said in a tweet and on his Facebook page declined the appointment.

He wrote: “Let me state categorically that I have turned down the position of Director General of the PDP Kogi State governorship campaign council.

“I wish the PDP all the best. When truth is a casualty, there is chaos.”

Melaye had contested and lost the party’s September 3 primary election and had subsequently filed an appeal to the leadership of the party complaining that most of the ballot boxes containing his delegates’ vote were snatched when armed thugs invaded the venue of the exercise.

But the leadership of the party had insisted that the number of votes in the said missing ballot boxes was not enough to invalidate the victory of the winner of the primaries, Mr Musa Wada, who scored over 700 votes against Melaye’s 70.

Majority of the 12 aspirants that contested the primaries with Wada however pledged to work for the unity and success of the PDP in the election.

Speaking on behalf of other aspirants, Muhammed Shuaibu Tettes, said the aspirants accepted the outcome of the primary election in good faith.

Tettes said: “As members of the Kogi PDP 2019 G-12, the urgent need for intra-party cohesion and unity of purpose at this moment is recognised.

“It is for this reason that the candidacy of Engr. Musa Wada is considered worthy of undivided support as the task to rebuild Kogi starts in earnest.

“Considering the reconciliation efforts of Engr. Musa Wada and his preparedness to actively partner with other aspirants that lost the ticket, we have accepted him as a partner in progress in the liberation struggle and also accept to work with him in the overall interest of the PDP and Kogi State.”

Some of the party chieftains that were at the secretariat in solidarity with the candidate were a former governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada, who lost the ticket to his younger brother.

Also at the party secretariat were Emmanuel Omebije, Princess Grace Iyeh Adejoh, Dr. Joseph Ameh Erico, Alhaji Kabiru Haruna, Adebayo Averehi and Aminu Abubakar Sulaiman.