The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the November governorship election in Kogi State, Dino Melaye alleged that Governor Yahaya Bello, is seeking a third term in proxy.

Melaye made this claim while speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

Bello, who is serving his second term as Kogi governor, is backing his party, All Progressive Congress, APC candidate, Ahmed Ododo as his successor. 

But Melaye has claimed that the governor is tacitly trying to remain in power through Ododo.

Melaye said, “Don’t be deceived that Yahaya Bello is not on the ballot. Ododo is physically on the ballot but Yahaya Bello is the one seeking a third term through a proxy.

“I will not want this debate to be about Yahaya Bello, rather I would like to market my political party and market what we have for Kogi State.”

The former lawmaker representing Kogi West in the Senate said he was confident of unseating the ruling APC because it had happened before in 2003 when the PDP unseated Abubakar Audu.

He added that even though Yahaya Bello was the governor in 2019, he still won his senatorial election under the PDP.

Melaye said the Kogi West and Central Leaders Forum accessed the three contestants from the zone after which he was endorsed as the choice of the zones.

According to Melaye, all the candidates from the Kogi West and Central are qualified to govern the state.

He insisted that he (Melaye) is the most qualified, saying that he is the most educated, most exposed, and most experienced of all the candidates.

He said, “It’s not debatable. I was a member of the House of Reps and I was voted twice as senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Leke Abejide is a member of the House of Reps but I was in the House of Reps 17 years ago.

“And the governorship of Kogi State is not a learning ground. It’s a place you need people who definitely must have managed human and material resources over the years.”