Dino Melaye, the former Senator representing Kogi West, 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.
