Kogi 2023: PDP’s Dino Malaye Wins Polling Unit
Dino Melaye, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kogi state, has won his polling units despite allegedly refusing to vote.
The polling unit located at an pen space in Iluafon quarters, RA: Aiyetoro 1, Ijumu LGA, of Kogi State.
Melaye won his polling unit with a total of 210 votes. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) got a total of 22 votes.
The PDP candidate won the polling unit despite refusing to cast his ballot in the ongoing Kogi State governorship election.
He alleged that result sheets have been prefilled and tampered with in all polling units located in Ogori/Magongo local government area of the state.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, voting commenced around 8: 30 am in his polling unit and ended by exactly 2: 30 pm.
Melaye also claimed that there are massive protests in the units, as voters have refused to be accredited, insisting that the plain result sheets should be made available for the electorate in the area.
The former Kogi senator made these known in a short video posted on social media on Saturday morning as the off-season governorship election is ongoing in the state.
He urged the people to resist any form of malpractice that could scuttle their wishes as the people of Kogi.
“..is to show agents the result sheets and that the result sheets have been written. There is a massive protest in all polling units in Ogori/Mangogo local government of Kogi State right now,” Melaye said.
“The result sheets have been filled and tampered with already, and people have refused to accredit, people have refused to vote and they are insisting that the plain result sheets must be returned to agents in accordance with the electoral law.”
Melaye added, “If they refuse to show you result sheets in all polling units across the state, don’t accredit, don’t vote, protest and resist it. This is democracy. We must protect our votes, and protect the process. We must make sure that all the regulations are being observed and respected.”
It was gathered that the PDP candidate, who was in his country home, with some of his people stayed away from the exercise.
However, he refuted the claims that he didn’t exercise his franchise in the ongoing election.
“I have voted,” he said, while fielding questions from the journalists at his home. But when he was told that journalists had been waiting for him at his polling unit, he added, “maybe you went to the wrong polling unit.”
“Where is your polling unit?” he was asked. “I am not under attack, I have voted,” he replied.
Melaye and the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Leke Abejide, popularly referred to as “Elder” are the two major candidates gunning for the position of governor from the Kogi West Senatorial District.
According to report, Abejide who is a serving lawmaker, may affect Dino’s chances at the governorship polls.
Kogi West which Melaye hails, has never produced a governor since the inception of the state.
