Dino Melaye’s political foe Smart Adeyemi loses senatorial ticket to former House of Reps member

Smart Adeyemi

Incumbent Senator Smart Adeyemi on Saturday lost his party primary in his bid to return to the Senate to represent Kogi West.

Adeyemi lost the ticket of the All Progressives Congress to Sunday Karimi, who represented Yagba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2016.

Karimi polled 288 votes to floor Adeyemi and four other aspirants at the election held in Kabba.

Adeyemi got 43 votes, Muri Aina got 73, Adedoyin Eshanumi got one vote, Mohamed Wambai got nine votes, while Christopher Oni got one vote.

Speaking shortly after his victory, Karimi assured his constituents of responsive and quality representation at the Senate by stimulating development in the district.

“If elected, I will justify confidence reposed in me by the delegates and the APC, my very party,’’ he said.

Karimi saluted the courage of his rivals and called on them to leave the loss behind and join hands with him to build the party and the constituency for the better.

On May 24, Senator Dino Melaye, who represented the district between 2015 and 2019, suffered defeat in the rerun primary of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Melaye polled 99 votes while Tajudeen Yusuf aka TJ Yusuf, who is currently representing Kabba/Bunu Ijumu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, got 163 votes.

Also on Saturday, Abubakar Ohere won the APC ticket for Kogi Central Senatorial District.