Primaries: Reps member floors Melaye to PDP senatorial ticket

A member of the House of Representatives representing Kabba-Buni/Ijumu Federal Constituency, Tajudeen Yusuf, on Tuesday, defeated Sen. Dino Melaye, in the re-run election to secure Kogi West senatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The senatorial primary election, which was held on Monday, ended in deadlock as both aspirants scored 88 votes respectively.

However, during the runoff election on Tuesday, Yusuf scored 163 votes while Dino Melaye polled 99 votes, dashing Melaye’s dream of returning to the Senate in the 10th National Assembly.

The result was announced by the Returning Officer, Engr. Stephen Onoji.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after he was declared the winner, Yusuf extended the olive branch to his co-contestants, and urged them to join hands with him to win the general election.

On his part, Melaye, who took to his Facebook page, congratulated Yusuf, saying the primary had been fought and won.

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”The primary has been fought and won. I congratulate Hon. Yusuf and thank all those who voted in the first and second ballot for me.

”The Gang up is unimaginable but l give God praise. God bless you all,” Melaye stated.

Melaye, who represented the district as senator from 2015 to 2019, was defeated by the incumbent Sen. Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in a re-run senatorial election in 2019.

Adeyemi, who hails from the same Ijumu Local Government Area as Melaye, is a three-term senator in the National Assembly.

Adeyemi represented the zone from 2007 to 2015 under the platform of the PDP, but was defeated by Melaye in 2015.

He later defected to APC before he (Adeyemi) clinched the seat again in 2019 after re-run election ordered by the court.

The Star