Dino Melaye: Much brouhaha, poor showing

Senator Dino Melaye is a known politician in Nigerian space. He flew the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the just concluded governorship race in Kogi State.

He is loud and appears to be bold, audacious and brazen in his approach commanding huge following on the social media, a platform he rode on to gain popularity.

Last Saturday’s attempt wasn’t the first time he would contest the governorship seat.

But, he has continued to fail to warm himself into the hearts of majority of the electorates in Kogi. Hence, his abysmal performance during the last Kogi governorship election wasn’t a surprise to keen politicians and observers in the state.

One thing that might have also affected his chances at the poll is his brashness and several controversies in and out of politics.

He is popular for composing songs and showing off his exotic and luxurious cars and homes. He is a dramatic politician, who loves to whim masses’ sentiment through emotional appeal.

Though a supposed lead contender in the last governorship race, he disappointed many of his fans in the Confluence State, as he refused to cast his ballot over allegation of irregularities with the process. That decision made to miss the opportunity to cast his ballot in an election where he was vying to govern the state.

Justifying why he decided to withdraw his right to exercise his franchise, the governorship candidate claimed that there were massive protests at his unit, as voters refused to be accredited, insisting that the result sheets should be made available for the electoral area.

In his usual practice, Melaye chose to indulge in a social media controversy, rather than adding to his tally by coming out to vote.

He revealed in a short video that went viral on social media last Saturday as the off-season election was underway. He alleged: “The result sheets have been filled and tampered with already and people have refused to be accredited; people have refused to vote. They are insisting that the plain result sheets must be returned to agents in accordance with the electoral laws.”