The Comedy Politics of Dino Melaye … What Next for the Fashionable Politician?

Kogi State politics is not for the faint of heart. An ill-prepared individual might lose his composure, dignity, money, or whatever else they entrust to the political engines. Senator Dino Melaye, despite his wisdom in these things, still failed to achieve his aim of being the state governor for the next four to eight years, even after restraining his comedic style of politics.

Melaye, the tiger of Kogi State as to politics is not in the highest of spirits. After losing the gubernatorial election to a newcomer, Usman Ododo, proxy candidate for the outgoing Governor Yahaya Bello, things have taken a downturn. It hurts all the more because Melaye was on his best behaviour throughout the exercise, never dancing, hawking, or climbing trees to scramble from kidnappers and assassins.

The 2023 gubernatorial election in Kogi was surprising this time because Melaye did not engage in any of his usual antics. Readers would recall how he brought out his inner Michael Jackson during the presidential campaigns, mocking everybody but his principal. Nobody was shocked at his demonstrations, merely pushing it aside as classic Dino.

However, it was a big shock when the senator did not perform any such dance during his campaigns for the Kogi governorship position. Instead, he maintained a sober disposition, successfully displaying the demeanour of someone with the burdens of the people’s interest on his shoulders. Unfortunately, it did not work.

Even though Melaye is not convinced of his defeat at the hands of Bello or the All Progressives Congress (APC), there is not much he can do. The momentum of the APC is too strong, especially taking into account the outcomes of judicial interventions in election results.

But the future is bright for the car-loving and glitzy man. His charming personality qualifies him for top roles across the entertainment industry in Nigeria and abroad. Asking him to become a comedian is too much, but he can definitely chair a new industry, evolving his comedic disposition with his amusing political intrigues, manoeuvres, and tactics.