Dino Melaye cries, seeks refund after sharing out N250,000 per polling unit ‘for vote-buying’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Dino Melaye is allegedly enraged and seeking refund after sharing out N250,000 to each polling unit during the election held in Kogi state.

According to SaharaReporters, a breakdown of the PDP election expenses showed that N87 million was budgeted for ‘voter’s mobilisation’ popularly known as vote-buying while N10,000 and N5000 were also assigned to each Polling Officer and Assistant Polling Officer.

A source told the publication on Thursday, that Melaye’s anger was partly because he claimed to have been defrauded by a PDP Local Government Chairman, his campaign Director-General and others as they failed to win him the governorship election.

“Senator Dino Melaye released N250,000 per polling unit for vote buying and he was defrauded by the Local Government chairman of PDP, his campaign DG and others.

“The money was shared for 14 people who gathered in Iyale at Hon Tom Zekeri house.

“He released N3,510,000 for thugs per polling unit in the name of local security; the money was diverted by a local government Chairman of the party called Alhaji Hussini Ejini. The senator is angry and asking for refund,” one of the sources said.

On Saturday, November 12, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Usman Ododo, winner of the election.

It was announced that Ododo polled a total of 446,237 votes beating his major contender, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who polled a total of 259,052 votes while Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored a total of 46,362 votes – making him a distant third.

During the election, Dino Melaye had called for the "immediate cancellation" of the governorship election in the five local governments of Kogi Central.

Taking to his social media page, he named the areas as Okene, Okehi, Ajaoukuta, Adavi, and Ogori/Mangogo as places were election irregularities are been perpetuated.

"INEC must cancel the election in the five local governments of Kogi Central. The election in Okene, Okehi, Ajaoukuta, Adavi, and Ogori/Mangogo is a scam coordinated from the highest level of INEC," he had written.

Dino had alleged that results sheets were filled in Kogi State before the commencement of voting on Saturday.

“Result sheets have been written. There is a massive protest in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State right now.

“The result sheets have been filled and tampered with already and people are refusing to accredit, people are refusing to vote and they are insisting that plain result sheets must be shown to agents in accordance with electoral laws.”