Dino Melaye Biography: Early Life, Career, Wife, Children & Net Worth

Barrister Daniel Dino Melaye (born January 7, 1974) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who previously served as a senator and member of the Nigerian National Assembly, representing the Kogi West Senatorial District.

He is from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State. Melaye is a former senator, member of the House of Representatives, and member of the African Democratic Congress.

He defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, but returned to the PDP in the run-up to the 2019 elections following months of political wrangling with Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. He served as chairman of the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and, briefly, the Senate Committee on Aviation in Nigeria.

He served as the spokesperson for the People’s Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential contender, Atiku Abubakar. In July 2025, Melaye resigned from the People’s Democratic Party to join the African Democratic Congress.

Dino Melaye Biography

Dino Melaye was born in Kano state, Nigeria. He went to Abdulaziz Attah Memorial College in Okene for secondary school studies. In 2000, he graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria after studying geography there.

He chaired the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) before becoming Secretary-General of the African Youth Council and then the Commonwealth Youth Council. President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on Youth.

Career

In 2015, he switched to the People’s Democratic Party and was re-elected to the House of Representatives for the Kabba/Ijumu federal constituency. In the 2015 Nigerian Senate election, he was elected from Kogi-West. He seconded Senator Bukola Saraki’s nomination for the office of Senate President, which was made by Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima.

On February 23, 2019, he was re-elected as senator from the Kogi-West senatorial constituency to the 9th Senate. Sen Adeyemi of the APC, his major adversary in the race, approached the race Petitions Tribunal, requesting that Melaye’s election be annulled. On August 23, 2019, the tribunal dismissed Melaye and ordered a re-run election.

Senator Dino Melaye lost his appeal to retain his senate seat on 11 October 2019, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) immediately ordered a re-run poll. INEC, on the other hand, pushed for the poll to be held later than the State Governorship election, which is scheduled for November 16, 2019; however, Senator Dino Melaye moved and petitioned INEC to have his rerun election on the same day as the State Governorship election.

Senator Dino claimed that the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, is completing plans to rig the election in favour of his preferred candidate, Senator Smart Adeyemi.

Senator Dino Melaye with a margin of over 20,000 votes, lost to his political rival, Smart Adeyemi in an INEC ruled the election inconclusive due to violence and electoral violations in more than 50 polling units in the senatorial district.

A make-up election was scheduled on November 30, 2019, following which Senator Dino Melaye allegedly planned to boycott the election but was seen voting on election day. The supplementary election saw a poor voter turnout, which could be attributed to the high degree of harassment, killings, and intimidation seen during the main election.

Senator Smart Adeyemi was able to defeat Senator Dino Melaye with about the same margin as the general election. However, the State Government is thought to have interfered with the election results in favour of Smart Adeyemi. Senator Dino Melaye’s replacement, Smart Adeyemi, has since been sworn in by the Senate President.

Dino Melaye Wife

Melaye was married to Tokunbo Melaye for 10 years and has three children. She filed for divorce following an incident of domestic abuse.

Dino Melaye Net Worth

Dino Melaye net worth is reported to be between $10 million and $15 million by some sources, while others predict it might reach $800 million by 2025. His wealth is derived from his political career, business activities, real estate investments, and endorsements.

Social Media

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