Dino Melaye, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Saturday’s Kogi governorship poll, has pledged to rebuild the state in four years if elected governor.

Mr Melaye said this at the party’s grand finale campaign rally held in Lokoja on Thursday.

“In four years, we are going to build the new Lokoja. York was in existence before New York came to be. Zealand was there before New Zealand came. Delhi was there before New Delhi came,” said Mr Melaye, a former senator.

The PDP gubernatorial standard-bearer added, “So by the grace of God, if you voted me in as governor, in 4 years, we are going to build a new Lokoja. Kogi is a strategic state. It is the richest state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are blessed with mineral resources from uranium, to titanium, to lithium, to gold, to crude oil.

“It’s unfortunate that the only mineral that has been tapped out of all these numerous resources is limestone. We are going to tap the rest. We will explore them. We will develop them. We will commercialise them. We will distribute them. And we will improve our IGR for the development of the state and better standard of living.”

The PDP flag bearer said he was the most educated, experienced, and exposed among the 18 candidates participating in the November 11 election and called for massive votes from the electorate.

Mr Melaye said he was a well-trained student of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Mr Abubakar described Mr Melaye as the most qualified candidate to lead Kogi and deliver it from poverty and backwardness. He urged Kogites to rally round the flamboyant politician on Saturday and give him blog votes that would catalyse the state’s liberation. 

(NAN)