“When you give Dino that ticket, you know he won’t win in Kogi State,” Wike said during the parley.
According to Wike, the mere fact that someone is from a place does not equate to electoral success if such a person contests an election.
“Dino does not have what it takes [to be a governor] for crying out loud,” Wike maintained.
“He knows me very well. He does not have what it takes to be a governor.”
Wike added that if the PDP gives the ticket to Melaye, the party is doomed to lose the exercise.
He said, “Does it mean now that if the PDP wants to win the election, it would give the ticket to Dino and you say tomorrow that you were rigged when you have already killed yourself?” he wondered.
“Are we saying that we want to win an election or just have a candidate?” he added.
The governor said he won’t campaign for the PDP if the party gives its governorship ticket to the former Kogi lawmaker.
When asked if he would campaign for the main opposition party if Dino wins the ticket, Wike said, “Do you need to ask me that kind of question? Are you not aware that I would not do that?”
Accusing the PDP leadership of trying to “manipulate” the process in favour of Melaye, Wike said, “Why are you trying to manipulate this in favour of one aspirant?”
Speaking on Arise television on Tuesday – a few hours after Mr Wike’s media chat – Mr Melaye said: “When I ran for governorship in 2019, Mr Wike was my biggest sponsor, my biggest supporter to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“He supported my primaries. He did not just support my primaries, Mr Wike provided his private jet to drop me at Kogi airstrip on the day of my primary and was calling me every minute to find out where are we, are we succeeded, meaning that Wike saw something in me in 2019 when he supported me, he knew I was fit to be governor hence his investment as the case may be. So what now happens between 2019 and 2023 that he’s now saying that I am not fit to be a governor?
Continuing, Mr Melaye said: “Somebody you had spent your money on. Somebody you supported materially and otherwise but suddenly because I’m not a bootlicker because I refused to participate in your very myopic and intellectually stagnant presidential ambition you now see me as one not fit for the governorship.”
Governor Wike’s spokesperson, Kelvin Ebiri, did not respond to requests for comments on the allegation that the governor sponsored Mr Melaye’s 2015 governorship campaign.
Meanwhile, the camp of the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to Governor Nyesom Wike’s tirade against former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye.
Daniel Bwala, one of the spokespersons of Atiku presidential campaign team, accused Wike of calling out the wrong crew in person of Melaye.
Recall that Wike had said Melaye can’t be governor of Kogi State.
Addressing a media parley in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Wike said the former lawmaker lacked what it takes to govern a state.
The governor warned that PDP would lose Kogi State if Melaye is given the party’s ticket.
Reacting, Bwala warned of more fireworks between Wike and Melaye in the coming days.
Tweeting, Bwala wrote: “Gov. Wike has been fighting and insulting people and today he called out a wrong crew, Dino.
“Dino just released a trailer to the main movie and tables are shaking already. The coming days would be El-Classicos.”