The “Confluence State’s” political climate is tight as the race to Lugard House intensifies. Voter scavenging has begun in the state’s narrow passageways, with political players motivated by disparate emotions and agendas. With their future determined by the state’s eligible voters, the eighteen candidates approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have begun aggressive campaigning to win over voters.
Every political party’s nominee has declared victory as the poll gets closer. Political realignments and alignments have occurred. To exacerbate the situation, the current governor has served two terms and intends to install his choice. Yahaya Bello would have to battle his longtime rival and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Dino Melaye in order for this to occur.
Recent political events, such as the dismissal of an APC senator by an appeals court and the declaration of PDP candidate Natasha Akpoti as the victor, have altered the political landscape and intentionally stirred up controversy in the state. There are three strong competitors vying for the state’s top seat out of the eighteen candidates. These three prominent candidates are Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Ododo Ahmed Usman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
As the public predicts the likely victor of the campaign, here are some quick summaries of the three main candidates in the 2023 Kogi guber poll:
Dino Melaye
He is a former senator and was a member of the 8th Nigerian National Assembly, representing the West Senatorial District. He was once the spokesperson for the Senate and the PDP candidate in the 2023 Kogi guber poll. He is a native of Ayetoro Gbede in the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Early life and Education
Dino Melaye was born on January 1, 1974, in Kano State, Nigeria. He attended Abdulaziz Attah Memorial College, Okene, for his secondary school education. He graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied geography in 2000.
Political life
In 2015, Melaye decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, where he was re-elected as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Kabba/Ijumu federal constituency. Subsequently, he was elected a member of the Senate from Kogi West. He was re-elected on February 23, 2019 to return as a senator representing Kogi West senatorial district in the 9th Senate.
Dino Melaye contested the Kogi State gubernatorial election, which was held on November 16, 2019. On September 3, 2019, he lost his gubernatorial ambition in a keenly contested primary election, where he came in third with a total of 70 votes behind Engr. Musa Wada, who won with 748 votes in total.
He has been declared the winner of the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Kogi State, to be deputized by Hon. Habeebat Deen.
Leke Abejide
He is a member of the House of Representatives and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Customs and Excise. He is a native of the Alu community in the Yagba East local government area of Kogi State. He is the 2023 Kogi gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Early life and Education
Leke Joseph Abejide was born on May 8, 1975, to his parents in Alu, Yagba East local government area of Kogi state.
He obtained his primary school leaving certificate at LSMB Primary School, Alu-Igbagun. He then proceeded to ALU community secondary school in 1991. He went further to the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where he graduated from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences. He bagged his BSc in Economics.
He completed his one-year compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) immediately after he graduated. His enthusiasm for good education propelled him further as he sought more academic excellence at Bayero University (BUK) Kano, where he obtained his Masters Degree in Economics.
Ododo Ahmed Usman
He is a former Auditor-General for Local Government in Kogi State. He is also a former head of Kogi State Internal Revenue Service. He is an Ebira man who hails from Okene, Kogi State. He is the APC flag bearer and candidate of the Kogi 2023 guber poll.
Early life and Education
He was born in Ogun State, Nigeria, on February 7, 1982. He went to elementary and secondary schools in Nigeria, the names of which are unknown.
He received a degree in accounting from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. After graduating from the University of Lagos with a Master of Business Administration (MBA), he went on to become a Certified Public Accountant.
He has the backing of the sitting governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. He is a candidate of the ruling party at the federal, state, and local levels too.
Within Nigeria has identified the leading contenders among the eighteen candidates vying for the top spot and forecasted which one would most likely win the poll. But not the official electoral body or opinion shapers, but the Kogi people themselves, make the final decision. While we share the millions of Kogi people who are asking: Who will be the next governor of the state?, we also expect there to be a winner in this poll.