Fact-check: Did PDP Guber Candidate, Dino Melaye Faint After Suffering Defeat in the Kogi Polls Result?
Claims: There is a video being shared on WhatsApp and other social media platforms claiming that a former senator and the PDP candidate in Kogi State governorship election, Dino Melaye fainted after the results of the polls was announced on Monday.
Full Text: The video which surfaced online has raised concerns and questions on whether the announcement of the results was actually the consequences of his collapse.
A Facbook user who shared the video wrote, “Dino Melaye fainted after being defeated and was rush to the health facility for first aids treatment.”
Sympathizers in the video could be heard saying “give him water, don’t give him water”.
He was however assisted to his feet and rushed to a place that seemed like a Police station where revival attempts were made on him.
Verification: In order to confirm the accuracy of claims in the video, PRNigeria fact-check team checked for updates on the Kogi guber polls and found out that the All Progressives Congress Governorship candidate, Usman Ododo, has been announced winner of the November 11 governorship election in the State.
Ododo won the election with 446,237 votes, defeating his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party, who garnered 259,052, while Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party pulled 46,362 votes.
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This is despite INEC announcing that fresh polls would be conducted in some polling units in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the state on November 18, 2023.
Further findings by PRNigeria fact-check reveal that the particular video was a four years old clip when Senator Dino Melaye was under investigation over a case of criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide brought against him by the Nigeria Police Force.
An online newspaper, Independent, also reported on the same incident after the estranged Senator came out of hiding.
PRNigeria fact checkers established that the video circulating on social media platforms with Channels TV logo is an old video of the former senator who collapsed after he surrendered to security operatives on 4th January, 2019.
Conclusion: After thorough investigation by PRNigeria fact-check team, it was discovered that the video claiming that Dino Melaye fainted after the results of the Kogi Guber Polls were announced is an old clip recorded on 4th January, 2019.
PRNigeria fact-check therefore concludes that, Senator Dino Melaye didn’t faint after announcement of results, and that the claim is False.
By PRNigeria
