Ahead of the Kogi West senatorial rerun election ordered by the Appeal Court last week, the two actors in the race, Smart Adeyemi and Dino Melaye have been trading words. The two-term Senator who represented the region, Senator Smart Adeyemi, had said his rival Dino Melaye had never won any election in his political career.
He said that he had always been manipulating his way through, using political thugs. He had rigged elections right from his days at the House of Representatives. “This position had been proved right by last week’s decision of the Court of Appeal, affirming the decision of the lower court ordering the rerun of the Kogi West Senatorial election,” Adeyemi said.
He said in an interview in Lokoja, Tuesday night that no one can deliberately cast his vote for Dino because he did not fit into the category of those that can earn the respect of any Yoruba man who values morals more than money. “Besides, the Senate is meant for those who have proved their mettle in other areas before bringing his experience to bear at the Senate, “he said. “Where has Dino ever worked to gather any experience?” he quipped.
However, in reaction, Dino Melaye described Smart Adeyemi as an expired product in Kogi West. He said that his eight years in office were a curse rather than a blessing to the district. Speaking through his media aide, Gideon Ayodele, Melaye said, “The judgements at the tribunal and Appeal courts have not said that Senator Dino Melaye did not defeat him.
