Dino Melaye expresses strong condemnation for the Kogi election, describing it as a form of fraud he has never witnessed before in his life.
Senator Dino Melaye, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, attributes his electoral defeat to Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Melaye alleges that his votes were intentionally diminished to place him in a distant third position in the gubernatorial election held on November 11. Describing the process as shameful, he contends that the election was marred by massive rigging against him.
During an appearance on Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today’ on Monday, November 13, 2023, Melaye asserts that the INEC boss is a significant obstacle to Nigeria’s democracy. Accusing Yakubu of orchestrating his electoral loss, Melaye, who garnered 46,362 votes, laments the alleged manipulation.
In the governorship battle, the PDP candidate was defeated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag-bearer, Usman Ododo, who was declared the winner with 446,237 votes.
Melaye declares, “There was no election, and I am going to prove it here; there was only an allocation of votes by INEC. The election is shameful, and I sympathize with this country and the citizens of Kogi state. It’s a big shame that Mahmood Yakubu and his co-travelers would manifest the kind of satanism that took place in Kogi yesterday.”
Expressing his disbelief, Melaye, a seasoned politician, claims he has never witnessed such fraud in his political career. He calls on Yakubu to cancel the election in Kogi state and scrutinize the backend results, deeming it disgraceful.
When questioned about obtaining backend results from the INEC server, Melaye asserts his status as a certified private investigator. He maintains that his votes were intentionally reduced to secure his third-place finish.
Melaye concludes by stating that he has submitted his petition with evidence to the electoral body, demanding a review within seven days.
