Finally, Dino Melaye Joins Kogi Guber Race

Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West senatorial district in Senate, yesterday paid N21 million for the nomination and Expression of Interest forms to enable him contest the November 16 Kogi State governorship election.

Fielding questions from journalists after collecting his gubernatorial forms, he said his administration, if elected governor of the state, would pay attention to security, health, education and general welfare of the people of the state.

Speaking of his aspiration, the senator said: "This intention to run for Kogi State governorship election is not solely mine. It was borne out of agitation, a clarion call and passion from the Kogi people. There may be a lot of unnecessary commentaries from people of inordinate ambition and capricious manifestations, but Dino Melaye is going to go all out.

"We are not just contesting the election, but we are going to win the primaries and eventually kick the All Progressives Congress (APC) out of power and recover our state by the grace of God.

"The ambition is that of the Kogi people. There is the dire need to recover our state which has been completely battered, shattered and destroyed. Today, the magnitude and intensity of killings in Kogi State have surpassed any other time in the history of our state.

"The insecurity in the state is something we have never experienced before. Unemployment is on the high side. Retrenchment, sack and non-payment of salaries and pension are now a tradition in the state. The economy and the economic activities in the state have completely depleted. I have heard the loud cry from the Almighty God, and He said: ‘who do I send? And I said send me."

The Kogi West senator further said: "We will go into the issues of the economy of the state. We will revive all the MDAs in the state. We will look at tapping the over 200 mineral resources in Kogi. We will look at environment, agriculture as well as tap into mining.

"We will also look at education which is the bedrock of our people, and that has completely collapsed. Our children have spent more time at home than in school in the last four years. Our workers, elders and pensioners are dying for not being able to pay for their daily drugs."

Also, another governorship aspirant from the state,  Aminu Abubakar Sulieman, paid the N21 million governorship and Express of Interest fee,  listing his agenda to include education, security and general welfare of the people of the state.

He said: "You will also agree with me that the state in dire need of change of good leadership having under gone in the last three and half years of deterioration in all sectors; government employees virtually they are like beggars; insecurity, infrastructures have deteriorated among others."