What I Learnt From Kogi Governorship Polls – Melaye

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship in Kogi State, Senator Dino Melaye, has reflected on the outcome of the November 11 election, saying the three zones must collaborate to produce a governor in the state.

Melaye, who said this at dinner he hosted for members of his campaign organisation in Abuja on Thursday night, lamented disunity within the PDP, adding that there were betrayers in the party.

The PDP candidate said the three senatorial zones must complement one another, adding that  the emergence of formidable candidates for the eastern zone of the state was its major undoing.

He also said the fielding of more than one candidate from Kogi West was against the  political interest of the zone. 

He said, “One of the lessons is that the east now knows more than ever before, that they cannot become governor alone. You will have to collaborate with other zones to become governor.

“The second lesson is also for those of us from the west. That next time we should listen to words of wisdom from our elders and not from commercialised characters for those who because of their individual and selfish interests created problems for us. Because at the end of the day, what our elders have been saying that this will be worse for us is eventually what happened.” 

Melaye dismissed insinuations that he collected N3 billion from former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and Aliko Dangote respectively for his electioneering campaigns, Melaye said, “And we went through these elections, irrespective of the outcome, irrespective of betrayals, and so many things, there’s a reason to thank God and thank everyone of you, particularly our leaders and I especially appreciate General Tunde Ogbeha.

“Throughout the campaign, not once did we have any gunshot at us; not even once, we we’re moving around the states throughout dead nights. In fact, we even went to Bassa. We were driving through that very lonely road on unholy hours of the night. We got to Anyigba at about hours like12 or 1a:m and the kind of stories and kind of gunshot, there were no case or cases of gunshots at us or the kind of killings like what we were told when the SDP visited any other place in the east, we didn’t experience any of such we didn’t lose any soul. This, we are grateful to God for”.