By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
The Kogi State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has formally presented its candidate for the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the State, Senator Dino Melaye, to the members and stakeholders of the party.
The event, which held in Lokoja on Wednesday, was well-attended by party leaders and members from across the 21 local government areas of the State.
Melaye, a two-time member of the National Assembly, was presented as the standard bearer of the party after winning the April 16 primary election.
While speaking at the event, the State chairman of the PDP, Engr. Sam Ohuotu, appealed to members of the party to judiciously utilise the opportunity given to the party to take back power from the ruling APC.
Engr. Ohuotu said, “We have gone through the rigours of primary and it was a very transparent one, there might be issues before and after the primary election but the opportunity to take back power in Kogi State is in our hands. I am appealing to you, all those who are aggrieved in one way or the other that for the sake of Kogi State and for the sake of our children, allow such grievances be vacated from their minds.
“Vengeance is a visionless entity and we can not patronise it. We can see that God is creating a natural rotation system for us in Kogi State. We can also see that the narratives have changed and we can’t allow one part of the state to be cheating on the others. My position about this is clear and I am appealing that all of us should come together and take back our state and make it work.”
Speaking shortly after the presentation, the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Dino Melaye, expressed his appreciation to every member of the party for the confidence reposed in him and promised not to disappoint them.
He said that Kogi has no business being poor as the State is sitting on goldmines enough to make the citizens of the state immensely rich.
“Kogi State has over 42 mineral resources untapped, there is nothing wrong if we have five Obajanas in the State. There is no reason why Ajaokuta should not be working, there is no reason why we should depend on monthly Federal allocations. All these will be brought to a halt when I become the governor through you in November.
“We have enormous resources and loose funds around the world waiting to be accessed, what you only need is enabling environment and ideas to access those funds, I will use my connection around the world to attract investments to the state,” Melaye promised.
Also, speaking during the ceremony, a former governor of the State, Ibrahim Idris (Ibro), called on party faithful to rally behind Melaye, who he described as a formidable personality, who will bring the State out of the woods of the past seven years.
“To do this, there is the need to see ourselves as one big family and work together to install Dino Melaye in November,” Idris stated.
