2027: Ijumu forum drops Dino, backs Abejide

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The Ijumu Voters’ Forum, IVF, a grassroots bloc in Kogi West, has taken issue with former Senator Dino Melaye’s recent comments about Hon. Elder Leke Abejide, Chairman of the House Committee on Customs, saying his criticisms do not reflect the views of voters in the area.

In a statement signed by the Forum’s coordinator, Hon. Eleta Kelvin Oluseyi, the group said it did not see Melaye as a spokesman for Okun people and questioned aspects of his record in public office.

The Forum said Melaye became more associated with public exchanges and controversies while in the 8th Senate, rather than with constituency-focused achievements.

“As a former Senator who represented Kogi West in the 8th Senate, Dino Melaye became more widely known for public stunts and political quarrels than for meaningful contributions to his constituency,” the statement read.

It added that frequent political disputes at the time did not help to attract development partnerships or projects.

“The former Senator earned national nicknames that turned him into a spectacle rather than a statesman. Instead of building alliances that could attract projects and opportunities to the district, he chose battles that isolated him and dragged the name of Kogi West into needless public disputes,” Oluseyi added.

The Forum said many residents expected more direct interventions and sustained programmes during his tenure.

“There were no visible employment schemes for the youths, no sustained empowerment programs, and no lasting projects that changed the daily lives of ordinary people. What the people witnessed were songs, viral moments, and empty political fights that added no value to the region,” the statement noted.

It also referenced the long-abandoned fuel station project in Ayetoro-Gbede as a source of community concern.

“For nearly fifteen years, the project remained incomplete. If finished, it could have improved local business activities and provided jobs for many young people,” Oluseyi lamented.

Turning to Abejide, the Forum urged him not to be sidetracked by political disagreements, noting the developmental activities it attributed to him across Okunland.

“Hon. Leke Abejide has built a record that speaks for itself. He has facilitated job opportunities, supervised the construction of asphalt roads, improved school infrastructure, and carried out empowerment programs that reached students, youths, women, and families across Okunland. His work has produced visible results that people can point to and feel in their everyday lives,” they noted.

The Forum said attempts to downplay Abejide’s efforts do not align with what many people in the area have experienced.

“A leader who cannot secure the confidence of his own base cannot credibly claim to speak for an entire people,” Oluseyi noted.

It urged a more constructive and service-driven approach to political engagement.

“The message to Dino Melaye is simple. Leadership demands discipline, humility, and service. The younger generation no longer celebrates empty showmanship. They demand results, integrity, and visible progress. It is time to end the distractions, abandon personal attacks, and either learn the hard lessons of leadership or step aside. We need human investment, and not flaunting of luxury cars and expensive homes,” the Forum declared.

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