Senator Dino Melaye, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, has expressed his reaction to the outcome of the Kogi State governorship election, claiming that his defeat was a result of a premeditated plan by opposition parties.
The former Kogi West senator, who secured the third position in Saturday's poll, asserted that the election was not a true reflection of the people's will but rather an "allocation of votes."
According to the official results, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Usman Ododo, emerged as the winner with 446,237 votes, defeating Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who garnered 259,052 votes. Senator Dino Melaye obtained 46,362 votes, constituting approximately 5% of the total votes cast.
In an interview with Channels Television, Senator Melaye alleged that a meeting was held among opposition parties where it was decided that he must not secure the second position as it would be deemed "dangerous."
He claimed that this led to the deliberate allocation of votes, transforming the electoral process into a predetermined outcome.
"A meeting was held, and they said, 'Dino Melaye must not come second because if he comes second, it’s dangerous… so, he must become a distant third.' There was no election; there was only allocation of votes," Melaye asserted.
The PDP candidate further claimed that the allocation of votes favored the SDP candidate, Murtala Ajaka, particularly in the eastern part of the state.
Regarding his decision not to cast a vote, Senator Melaye stated that the act holds no legal significance in determining the election's outcome.
He pointed out that people have won elections while in prison and stressed that, legally, the act of voting or not voting is immaterial.