A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye claimed in 2023 that Governor Nyesom Wike begged him to convince Atiku Abubakar to choose him as the vice presidential candidate of the party in the last presidential elections.

Melaye's statement in April 2023 was a response to Wike, who had stated that the former Kogi Senator did not have what it takes to win the Kogi State governorship election held on November 15.

In defense against Wike's criticism, Melaye denied the claims and suggested that Wike was aware of his potential, which is why he received his support in 2019.

In a series of social media posts, the former representative of Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly revealed how Governor Wike allegedly pleaded with him to convince PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to choose him as his running mate.

Wike, during a media chat in Port Harcourt, alleged that the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, had contacted him and expressed concerns about attempts to manipulate the Kogi State governorship primary in favor of Melaye.

The Rivers State governor, however, dismissed Melaye as a joke and doubted his ability to win the governorship seat in Kogi. He warned that the PDP would likely lose the election if Melaye became the party's candidate in the state.

In response, Melaye detailed how Wike allegedly tried to manipulate him and other party members to secure the vice presidential candidate position. He claimed that Wike had called him 19 times in two hours, making numerous promises, but he ultimately declined the offer.

Melaye said: “I want Nigerians to know that Wike was my biggest supporter when I ran for Governorship in 2019. Wike was my biggest supporter financially, and even otherwise. Apart from funding me to a tune of hundreds of dollars, he provided his private jet to drop me in Kogi on the day of the primary.

“His jet dropped me at Kogi from Port Harcourt on the day of the primary, that is to show the level of intensity of his support and belief in me in 2019.

“So the man who saw competence, who saw capacity and even invested his money on me in that project, today, in 2023 is saying that am not qualified. The only explanation to that is psychotic disorderliness, the only explanation to that is mental fatigue. Because you cannot fund a project few years ago, to the extent that your money, your material resources, he was calling on the day of the primaries to know the development.

“So, the same champion you saw few years ago, today because I have refused to work in alliance to your myopic agenda; because I have refused to collaborate your intellectual stagnancy, you now say that the same person you sponsored years ago, today is no longer qualified to be governor.

“I am more qualified to be governor than Nyesom Wike. If somebody like Yahaya Bello and Wike can become governor, then you are saying the intellectually mobile fine boy Dino cannot be governor, how?.”

Insisting that the outburst was because he allegedly declined the plea to work for the governor on his ambition for VP, Melaye said: “But I want to tell you that Wike is a pretentious character, is a lier and he has no integrity. Wike was calling me when Atiku Abubakar was about announcing his running mate. I have records, I have printed it out and I am waiting for him.

“He called me 19 times in two hours, begging us to convince Abubakar to make his the vice presidential candidate. So when I see him on television shouting, because of South South agenda, you that was calling us on phone begging, promising us heaven and earth to convince Abubakar to make him vice presidential candidate. He was begging all of us. It was around 1.00 am when I told him ‘Oga nobody will give you the ticket ‘, that was when he left.

“So, somebody that pleaded to get the vice presidential candidate ticket, because he didn’t get it, he decided to campaign for South South agenda. I don’t believe is such unprincipled, zero integrity character like Nyesom Wike”.

He warned that “If he will not wash his hands off Kogi state and leave Dino Melaye alone, my primary business is other people’s businesses. If I open my can of worms and maggots on Wike, but I am waiting for him”.