The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kogi State, Dino Melaye, said he gave the party’s delegates anointing oil to clinch the PDP ticket at the primaries.
Melaye denied allegations that he bribed his way to clinch the party’s ticket.
He stated these while speaking on Channels Television Politics Today on Tuesday.
WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that a former Kogi Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, alleged that Melaye’s emergence is dangerous to the unity of the party as his votes were a product of a tainted delegates’ list.
Awoniyi said, “Without an iota of doubt, I make bold to say that Senator Melaye’s victory is a pyrrhic one.
“This victory portends great danger to the unity of our party and the prospect of winning the November 11 governorship election.
“The primary that threw up Senator Melaye was flawed; 158 delegates, who emerged from the state ad hoc congress of March 29, 2023, were replaced by the woeful Senator Abdul Ningi Congress Committee, working in concert with Melaye’s enablers within the party hierarchy at the highest level.”
But, reacting to the allegation, Dino Melaye said the “anointing oil” he gave delegates “did the magic”.
He also disagreed with claims that the delegates’ list was manipulated before the election adding that his margin of win doubled the allegedly manipulated list that was replaced according to the complainants.
Melaye cliched the party’s ticket in the primary after he 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, the Kogi State capital.
A Awoniyi scored 77 votes and the PDP governorship candidate in 2019, Musa Wada had a total of 56 votes.