Wike lashes out at Dino Melaye saying he lacks the capacity to be Kogi State governor

GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has lashed out one of the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) gubernatorial aspirants in Kogi State Senator Dino Melaye saying that he is not suitable for such an exalted position.

Controversial Senator Melaye, 49, who represented Kogi West in the National Assembly between 2015 and 2019, used to be a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) but defected to the PDP in 2018. He was a leading member of the PDP's presidential campaign committee during the last general elections, acting as a spokesman for their candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Kogi State will go to the polls on November 11 to elect a new governor to replace incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello, whose second term is about to come to an end. Usually, the contest is a two-horse race between the APC and the PDP and so far, about 29 candidates from both parties have expressed an interest in the position.

Under the election timetable that has been releases, the primaries for the two parties are expected to be completed by April 17. So far, 19 people had declared an interest in the APC ticket, while 10 people have expressed a wish to contest under the platform of the opposition PDP.

With the primaries looming, Governor Wike has, however, warned that the PDP would fail if Senator Melaye emerges as its governorship candidate. Addressing selected journalists in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Governor Wike stressed that the former Kogi West Senator lacked the capacity to govern a state.

Governor Wike said: “If you give Dino the governorship ticket, you know he will fail, as there is no way he can win. Why will Kogi people say they would vote for a candidate like Dino?

“People can’t vote for Dino because he is from Kogi, Dino does not have what it takes to govern the state or be a governor. It’s not by coming on television to act drama or insult Wike.”

Senator Melaye has released a campaign poster captioned No More Stealing and Killings, announcing his candidacy. Posted on his official Twitter handle, the message is a reference to the administration of Governor Bello, one of Senator Melaye's fierce political rivals.