Melaye returns to senate, Ekweremadu wins 5th term

Dino Melaye has defeated Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to retain his Kogi west senatorial seat.

Emmanuel Bala, returning officer of the election, announced the results in Lokoja, capital of Kogi, the early hours of Monday. He declared that Melaye polled 85, 395 votes to defeat Adeyemi, who scored 66, 901 votes.

Melaye contested under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Although he won the 2015 election under the APC, he defected to the PDP following a crisis with the leadership of the ruling party.

Adeyemi, who was then in the PDP, was Melaye’s rival in the election.

Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, has been declared winner of his Enugu west district for the fifth consecutive time.

Announcing the result on Monday, Douglas Nwagbo, the returning officer for the senatorial district, said Ekweremadu polled 86,088 ahead of his closest rival, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwaugwu of the APC who polled 15,187.