Kogi Polls: 10 Senatorial Candidates in Kogi West Withdraw from Race, Back Adeyemi, Bello
POLITICS DIGEST – About 10 days to the Kogi State Governorship and Kogi West Senatorial rerun polls, 10 of the 15 senatorial candidates have stepped down for the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Senator Smart Adeyemi.
The candidates under the coalition of Kogi West candidates also endorsed Governor Yahaya Bello and his running mate, Chief Edward Onoja for the governorship election. The Governorship and Senatorial elections are scheduled to hold on November 16, 2019.
Speaking in Lokoja, yesterday, at a joint press conference, the candidates alongside their LGA campaign coordinators, hinged their decision to step down for Adeyemi and endorsement of Bello on the new political permutation in the state.
Spokesperson of the group, Bode Adeyemi (ADC candidate) said: “Our decision is informed by current political exigencies, demands of our party structure and the need to alter a one direction political reality of Kogi State since 1992 which always produced successive governors of the state from one ethnic group, five uninterrupted times since the creation of the state.
“The above scenario is inequitable, unjust, unfair and demanding the concerns of all; thus the need to bury our aspirations.
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“The election of Governor Yahaya Bello has automatically reversed the one ethnic group dominance of the gubernatorial seat and established a process for equitable power sharing that is fostering unity, fairness and equity as against the previous ethnic propensity, tribal bias and nepotism, hence his re-election will obviously stamp the present political order.
“We have weighed the factors that will inform voting on the 16th of November, the intricacies, previous political realities, ethnic considerations and other germane issues,and took a decision we consider will be best for the state.
“As important stakeholders to the November 16 Gubernatorial election and Senatorial election, we have reviewed the obvious realities, appraised the political journey of the past and have resolved collectively, to defer our ambitions till future election year and support the All Progressive Congress in the November 16 Gubernatorial and Senatorial election.
“By this decision we have instructed our agents in all the polling units, canvassers and coordinators across board to campaign, work, mobilize and vote for all the APC candidates for the November 16th election.”
Earlier in the day, the candidates met with the Governor, who was represented by his running mate, Chief Edward Onoja; Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly, Mathew Kolawola; and the Director General Smart Adeyemi Campaign, Fancy Jimoh.
The deputy Governor, Edward Onoja described their endorsement as a reflection of a right – thinking people because “the re-election of Governor Yahaya Bello is the best way to unite Kogi people against divisive tendency that has held the state down.”
The State Assembly Speaker, Matthew Kolawole, said their decision will guarantee total victory for the APC at the poll.
The senatorial candidates present at the Press conference included Bode Adeyemi, ADC; Princess Roseline Ibitoye, ACCORD; Chief Samuel Atteh, PPA, Olasunkanmi Aina, CAP; Noah Abiodun, PPN, and John Aina, PT.
