The former Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the November 11 governorship election in the state.
Melaye polled 313 votes to defeat his closest rival, Jabiru Usman, who polled 127 votes.
The chairman, PDP Primary Election Committee, Ahmed Makarfi, announced the results on Sunday at end of the indirect primary held in Lokoja.
Also in the race were a former deputy governor of the state, Yomi Awoniyi, who scored 77 votes; and the PDP governorship candidate in 2019, Musa Wada, who finished fourth with 56 votes.
Meanwhile, a legal practioner, Adejo Okeme, on Sunday, emerged the candidate of the Labour Party for the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State.
Okeme polled 127 votes to beat his closest rival, Isaac Alfa, who scored 69 votes at the indirect primary held on Saturday in Lokoja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the primary was held under under the supervision of a seven-member committee, led by the LP Deputy National Chairman, Dr Ayo Olorunfemi.
Olorunfemi, who announced the result of the primary on Sunday morning, said a total of 196 delegates from the 21 local government areas of the state were accredited and voted for candidates of their choice.
He said, “Okeme, having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast at the indirect primary election conducted on April 15, in Kogi, is hereby declared the winner of the Labour Party primary election 2023.”
In his acceptance speech, Okeme thanked the delegates for finding him worthy to champion the cause of the party in the forthcoming Kogi governorship election.
Similarly, Allied Peoples’ Movement picked Dauda Isah as its consensus candidate for the November 11 governorship election.
Isah, an architect, scored 69 votes to emerge the flagbearer of the APM, at the primary election that held amid tight security at the party’s secretariat in Lokoja.
The election was monitored by a Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Oyadeji Adebayo.
Speaking shortly after his election, the APM flagbearer said his party was determined to rescue Kogi State from bad leadership.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress produced two factional governorship candidates.
While the lawmaker representing Yagba Federal Constituency, Leke Abejide, emerged as the ADC sole governorship candidate on Saturday, another faction of the party picked a lawyer, Dele Williams, as the party’s flagbearer.
The Saturday direct primary that produced Abejide was reportedly held across the 239 wards of the 21 local government areas of the state while the collation centre was at the Idri Nana Hotel, Lokoja.
It was supervised by INEC officials from the state and the national headquarters of the commission with the presence of security agents.
Mrs Magdalene Aku represented the INEC chairman while Sadiq Zakaye and one other represented the INEC office in the state.
Announcing the results, the national collation officer of the party, Dr Babalola Ajadi, said out of the 9,584 total votes, Abejide got 9,456 votes while 128 votes were recorded as invalid.
Speaking after his emergence, Abejide promised to prioritise education, workers’ welfare, security and infrastructural development if elected governor of Kogi State.
But another faction of the party picked Williams in an indirect primary election held on Sunday in Lokoja in the presence of INEC officials and security agents.
Williams was the senatorial candidate of the party in Kogi West in the last general elections but lost to the All Progressives Congress candidate, Sunday Karimi.
ADC delegates from the 21 LGAs converged at Lily Grand Hotel to elect Williams.
The Returning Officer of the election and the acting National Secretary of the ADC, Kennedy Odion, declared Williams as the winner.
In his acceptance speech, Williams said, “I am grateful to you all for giving me the mandate to fly our party’s flag in November; I will not disappoint you; I will justify the confidence you all have in me.”
